Ohio State
St. Cloud State
No. 10 Buckeyes Claim Fifth-Consecutive Win vs. SCSU, 3-1 – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/9/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Ice Hockey
Jan. 9, 2015
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The 10th-ranked Ohio State women’s hockey team claimed its fifth consecutive road victory with a 3-1 win Friday evening over St. Cloud State. The Buckeyes (13-8-2, 8-7-2 WCHA) and Huskies (6-15-1, 3-11-1) will close the series Saturday, with a 3:07 p.m. CT/4:07 p.m. ET scheduled puck drop at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, Minn.
Moving to 6-1-1 in its last eight contests, the victory gives Ohio State its longest road win streak in program history. The Buckeyes last conquered four in a row during the 2010-11 campaign (Jan. 14-29, 2011).
In the first period, senior defenseman Kari Schmitt propelled the Buckeyes to a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal at 6:20. The goal, which was Schmitt’s second of the season, was assisted by fellow seniors Danielle Gagne and Kayla Sullivan. For the period, Ohio State held a 10-4 advantage in shots, while redshirt junior goalie Stacy Danczak contributed four saves in the stanza.
St. Cloud fired back early in the second off a goal from Husky Alyssa Erickson at 1:39. With the score then tied, 1-1, Buckeye forward Julia McKinnon answered the call, notching her eighth goal of the season with less than two minutes remaining in the period. Unassisted on the play, the game-winner was the second of McKinnon’s career. Danczak added nine saves to her total in goal, as the Scarlet and Gray headed into the locker room with a 2-1 advantage.
The Buckeyes continued to apply pressure in the third, outshooting the Huskies, 10-2. With 1:18 remaining in the game, St. Cloud State pulled its goalie, Julie Friend, for its final offensive push. The Ohio State defense stood strong, with sophomore standout Claudia Kepler scoring an empty netter at 19:41 to close out the win.
For the game, Danczak earned 15 stops in 60 minutes for her sixth win this season. On the flip side, Friend registered 24 saves for SCSU.
On special teams, Ohio State went 1-for-2 on the power play, while St. Cloud had no man-advantage opportunities.
