Buckeyes Take on No. 2 Minnesota at OSU Ice Rink – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/8/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Ice Hockey
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State women’s hockey team hosts its final home series of the season, taking on No. 2 Minnesota in a WCHA showdown at the OSU Ice Rink. The puck drops Friday at 7:07 p.m. ET and Saturday at 4:07 p.m. ET. The team will honor its five seniors prior to Saturday’s game.
SERIES BASICS
Ohio State Buckeyes (15-11-4, 12-11-1-1 WCHA) vs. No. 2 Minnesota Golden Gophers (24-4-2, 18-4-2-1 WCHA)
Schedule:
Friday, Feb. 10 – 7:07 p.m. ET
Saturday, Feb. 11 – 3:07 p.m. ET
Live video: OhioStateBuckeyes.com
Live audio: OhioStateSports.net
Live stats: OhioStateBuckeyes.com
Twitter.com/OhioState_WHKY
Facebook.com/OhioStateWomensHockey
KARAOKE NIGHT
Do you have a great voice? Love to rock out while driving in your car? Sign up for the karaoke contest on Friday night and you could win awesome prizes just for singing your favorite tunes! All participants will win a prize but only the Women’s Ice Hockey Idol will win the grand prize! You’ll be able to choose from a list of popular karaoke songs and then the crowd will choose their favorite entry. Don’t be shy!
SENIOR NIGHT
Celebrate the careers of our five outstanding graduating seniors on Saturday with The Best Damn Band in the Land, Brutus, and commemorative hockey pucks for the first 200 fans! You don’t want to miss out on the final home game of the season, so come give your Buckeyes the proper salute they deserve for a stellar season! The five being honored are Brittany Carlson, Melissa Feste, Laura McIntosh, Natalie Spooner and Kelly Wild.
WCHA STANDINGS
The Buckeyes, under first-year head coach Nate Handrahan, are locked in a tie for fourth with ninth-ranked Minnesota Duluth with two weekends remaining in the regular season. Following a series split with the Bulldogs last weekend, the two squads each have a 12-11-1-1 record in conference play with 38 points. Top-ranked Wisconsin is in first with 63 points, while Minnesota (57 points) and North Dakota (45 points) round out the top three.
LAST TIME OUT: MINNESOTA DULUTH
The Ohio State women’s hockey team split its WCHA series at No. 9 Minnesota Duluth, Feb. 3-4. The Buckeyes dropped a 4-3 decision to the Bulldogs Friday, but followed with a 4-3 win Saturday.
The squad was led by seniors Natalie Spooner and Laura McIntosh as the pair finished with six and three points, respectively. Spooner notched her third hat trick of the season in the team’s win Saturday, scoring three of the four goals for the Buckeyes. She also finished with three assists on the weekend. McIntosh totaled one goal and two assists in the team’s one-goal win en route to becoming the program’s all-time leading point scorer. Sophomore Ally Tarr had a goal and two assists, while four other Buckeyes finished with a point on the weekend
RECORDS BROKEN
Senior captain Laura McIntosh became Ohio State’s all-time leading point scorer in Saturday’s 4-3 win at UMD as her three-point performance moved her career total to 163. She entered the weekend locked for first with former Buckeye Jana Harrigan (2003-06) with 160 career points.
Also inching closer to the top is senior assistant captain Natalie Spooner. The current Ohio State career goals record holder (96) is third overall in career points at Ohio State, having 156. Her 27 goals this season is two away from Jeni Creary’s record of 29 goals scored during the 2004-05 season.
SECOND-RANKED MINNESOTA
The No. 2 Minnesota Gophers come to Columbus with a 24-4-2 record and are 18-4-2 in the WCHA. The squad is second overall in the conference with 57 points and is coming off a series sweep of St. Cloud State, outscoring the Huskies 15-1 in the two games.
Amanda Kessel leads all Gophers with 58 points, scoring 24 goals and dishing out 34 assists. Jen Schoullis has 49 points (19g, 30a), while Sarah Erickson and Megan Bozek each have 32 points for Minnesota. Goalie Noora Räty leads the nation with a 1.41 goals-against average and has 588 saves this season. Her .936 save percentage is fifth nationally.
BUCKEYES VS. GOPHERS
The Gophers lead the all-time series with a 48-8-1 overall record vs. the Buckeyes. Minnesota is undefeated in the last 10 meetings between the two squads and holds a 21-4-1 record in games played in Columbus.
Senior assistant captain Natalie Spooner leads all current Buckeyes with 13 points on four goals and nine assists against the Gophers. Senior captain Laura McIntosh has 12 points (5g, 7a) over 17 games played, while sophomore goalie Lisa Steffes has a 3.05 goals-against average vs. Minnesota.
LAST MEETING
Ohio State traveled to Minnesota to close out the first half of the regular season, facing the Gophers at the Ridder Arena, Dec. 10-11. Minnesota opened with a 4-1 win in game one and followed with a 3-1 victory the next day. Freshman Danielle Gagne and senior captain Laura McIntosh each had a goal on the weekend.
FRESHMEN CONTRIBUTIONS
The year’s freshman class has been a successful part of the team’s season thus far. Taylor Kuehl leads all Ohio State freshmen with 14 points on three goals and 11 assists. Her 14 points also puts fifth in the WCHA in freshman points. Danielle Gagne has six goals and four assists on the season, while Kayla Sullivan has two goals and four assists for the Buckeyes. Sara Schmitt and Kari Schmitt have played a key role for the team’s defensive strikes and have also contributed to the team’s offensive performance.
CAREER FIRSTS
Freshman Kari Schmitt became the next Buckeye to have a career-first weekend. The defenseman from Canton, Mich., scored her first goal/point in the team’s 6-2 win over North Dakota, Jan. 27. She then notched her first-career assist the next day, Jan. 28. A handful of Buckeyes have had career-first moments this season and are found below.
Career Moments
- Annie Svedin – first-career point/assist: Oct. 7 vs. Bemidji State; first-career goal: Dec. 3 vs. Niagara
- Madison Marcotte – first-career point/assist: Oct. 7 vs. Bemidji State; first-career goal: Nov. 18 at Syracuse
- Taylor Kuehl – first-career point/assist: Oct. 7 vs. Bemidji State; first-career goal: Jan. 7 at St. Cloud State
- Ally Tarr – first-career hat trick: Oct. 8 vs. Bemidji State
- Kayla Sullivan – first-career point/goal: Oct. 8 vs. Bemidji State; first-career assist: Oct. 21 at North Dakota
- Danielle Gagne – first-career point/goal: Oct. 8 vs. Bemidji State; first-career goal: Oct. 14 vs. St. Cloud State
- Sara Schmitt – first-career point/assist: Oct. 22 at North Dakota; first-career goal: Nov. 18 at Syracuse
- Kari Schmit – first-career point/goal: Jan. 27 vs. North Dakota; first-career assist: Jan. 28 vs. North Dakota
UP NEXT
Ohio State closes out the regular season on the road, traveling to No. 1 Wisconsin, Feb. 17-18. The squads face off at 3 p.m. ET to open the series and follow with a 1:30 p.m. ET game the next day. Saturday’s game will be broadcast by BTN from the Kohl Center.
