Ohio State
Minnesota
Ohio State Skates to 3-3 Tie with No. 2 Minnesota – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/30/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Ice Hockey
Jan. 30, 2015
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State women’s hockey team battled No. 2 Minnesota to a 3-3 tie Friday evening at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis, Minn. Leading the way for the Scarlet and Gray, senior Taylor Kuehl notched two goals, including the game-tying score late in the third period of play. The Gophers came away with the extra league point after claiming the shootout, 3-1.
The Buckeyes (14-10-3, 9-9-3-1 WCHA) and Gophers (23-1-4, 16-1-4-2 WCHA) will resume the pivotal WCHA series Saturday at 2 p.m. CT/3 p.m. ET. Minnesota is currently on an 18-game unbeaten streak, 16-0-2, which is the second-longest active streak in the country.
Trailing 3-2 with 3:16 remaining in the third, Kuehl fired a strike through traffic to register the equalizer. Assisted on the play by fellow senior Kari Schmitt, the goal was Kuehl’s ninth of the season. A physical final stanza, redshirt junior Stacy Danczak was a force in goal with seven saves for the period.
Overall, Danczak finished regulation and overtime with 29 saves in 64:35. The Buckeyes hung tight with the second-ranked team, regardless of trailing 32-28 in shots. Minnesota goalie Amanda Leveille came away with 25 stops overall.
Minnesota got off to an early start, notching a goal 90 seconds into the game. Providing the Gophers a 1-0 lead was Gopher Meghan Lorence, who buried her 15th goal of the season. The Buckeyes, however, had a quick answer as senior Danielle Gagne scored unassisted at 2:46. A high-scoring introduction, Minnesota rebounded with their second goal at 6:50 on a power play. For the remainder of the period, the attention turned to the Buckeye defense, with Danczak posting nine stops.
The teams traded goals in the second, as Minnesota claimed a 3-1 advantage early in the period. Scoring over Danczak’s left shoulder, Gopher Cara Piazza put the Buckeyes in a two-goal hole at the 4:33 mark. Then it was Kuehl’s time to shine. The Minnetrista, Minn., native scored off a feed from classmates Sara Schmitt and Kari Schmitt to cut the Buckeye deficit to one. Earned during a power play at 12:21, the score marked Ohio State’s 17th power play goal of the season.
Nine penalties were called for the game. Ohio State’s penalty kill until went 2-for-3 against Minnesota’s high-powered power play unit, while the Buckeyes converted on 1-of-3 man-advantage situations.
