Ohio State Picked Fourth in WCHA Preseason Poll, 10th in USA Hockey Poll – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/25/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Ice Hockey
Buckeyes also open the season ranked No. 10 in USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll
COLUMBUS, Ohio The Ohio State women’s hockey team has been picked to finish fourth in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, the league announced Tuesday. In a poll of the eight head coaches taken by the WCHA, the Buckeyes received 31 points, six points behind No. 3 Minnesota. Two-time defending NCAA champion Wisconsin is No. 1 with 49 points and seven first-place votes, followed by Minnesota Duluth in second with 42 votes and one first-place vote.
Also released Tuesday was the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Preseason Poll in which the Buckeyes were ranked No. 10, starting the season at the same place they finished in 2006-07. Ohio State received 23 points in the preseason poll, nine points behind No. 9 Dartmouth. The Badgers also topped that poll with all 19 first-place votes.
The Buckeyes are coming off their best season in the eight-year program history. They reached the 20-win mark for the first time and finished the year with a 20-13-4 overall record. OSU also had a record 30 points in league standings with a 13-11-4 mark to finish fourth in the WCHA. Ohio State earned home ice for the first time under the conference’s new postseason playoff format and eventually advanced to the WCHA semifinals in Minneapolis.
Ohio State returns nine of its 11 leading scorers, including three All-WCHA selections, in the ninth season under the direction of head coach Jackie Barto. Senior defenseman Tessa Bonhomme captains the team this season after wrapping up her junior season as a Second Team All-America selection by the American Hockey Coaches Association, a First Team All-WCHA honoree and Top 10 finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award. Bonhomme had 36 points (14g, 22a) just behind fellow senior defenseman Lisa Chesson with 13 goals and 24 assists for 37 points. Chesson was named Third Team All-WCHA for the second-consecutive season.
Senior forward Erin Keys led the Buckeyes last year with 48 points, the second-highest season total in OSU history. She scored 22 goals, including 12 power-play goals to lead the WCHA, and added 26 assists. Keys was named Second Team All-WCHA and also recognized by U.S. College Hockey Online as the most improved player in the nation.
The Buckeyes prepare for the 2007-08 season with an exhibition game against Wilfrid Laurier University Saturday. The contest will begin at 1p.m. at the OSU Ice Rink.
WCHA Preseason Coaches’ Poll
| Team | Pts (1st Place) | 2006-07 Record |
| 1. Wisconsin | 49 (7) | 36-1-4 |
| 2. Minnesota Duluth | 42 (1) | 24-11-4 |
| 3. Minnesota | 37 | 23-12-1 |
| 4. Ohio State | 31 | 20-13-4 |
| 5. Minnesota State | 23 | 16-17-2 |
| 6. St. Cloud State | 22 | 12-18-7 |
| 7. Bemidji State | 13 | 11-20-5 |
| 8. North Dakota | 7 | 3-31-2 |
USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Preseason Poll
| Team | Pts (1st Place) | Final Rk | 2006-07 Record |
| 1. Wisconsin | 190 (19) | 1 | 36-1-4 |
| 2. Mercyhurst | 165 | 3 | 32-2-3 |
| 3. New Hampshire | 131 | 8 | 28-4-5 |
| 4. St. Lawrence | 128 | 4 | 29-8-3 |
| 5. Minnesota Duluth | 123 | 2 | 24-11-4 |
| 6. Harvard | 84 | 7 | 23-8-2 |
| 7. Minnesota | 82 | 9 | 23-12-1 |
| 8. Boston College | 75 | 6 | 24-10-2 |
| 9. Dartmouth | 32 | 5 | 27-5-2 |
| 10. Ohio State | 23 | 10 | 20-13-4 |
Others receiving votes: Connecticut, 6; Colgate, 3; Princeton,1; Providence, 1; Yale, 1.
