Buckeyes Host Mavericks for Pivotal WCHA Series – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/5/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Ice Hockey
Feb. 5, 2015
RELATED INFO
- Ohio State Notes: PDF
- Sullivan Release: http://go.osu.edu/whky_release_128
- Buckeye Vision ($): Friday | Saturday
- Live Stats: Friday | Saturday
- Follow the Buckeyes on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
COLUMBUS, Ohio – With the WCHA race heating up, the Ohio State women’s hockey team hosts Minnesota State (3-23-1, 1-19-1-0 WCHA) this weekend at the OSU Ice Rink in Columbus. The teams faceoff Friday at 6:07 p.m. ET and Saturday at 2:07 p.m. ET. With four teams – Minnesota Duluth (41 points), North Dakota (38), Ohio State and Bemidji State (29) – vying for the final two home ice spots for the 2015 WCHA playoffs, the Buckeyes (14-11-3, 9-10-3-1 WCHA) will look to acquire some coveted conference points in the series.
FOLLOW ALONG
Fans unable to make the trip to Columbus have a variety of ways to follow the action. Scoring updates will be available from the Buckeyes’ official Twitter account, @OhioState_WHKY, while a link to live stats has been provided above. The matchup will also be available for streaming through Buckeye Vision ($).
SULLIVAN HOCKEY HUMANITARIAN AWARD NOMINEE
Senior forward Kayla Sullivan was recently announced as one of 15 nominees for the 2015 BNY Mellon Wealth Management Hockey Humanitarian Award. The honor is bestowed annually to college hockey’s finest citizen – a student-athlete who makes significant contributions not only to his or her team but also to the community-at-large through leadership in volunteerism.
Finalists for the Hockey Humanitarian Award will be announced in February. The 2015 recipient will be recognized in a ceremony on Friday, April 10th as part of the NCAA Men’s Frozen Four in Boston.
LAST TIME OUT: MINNESOTA
Most recently, the Buckeyes battled second-ranked Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minn. Ohio State put together a solid effort Friday evening to tie the Gophers 3-3, before falling in the a shootout, 3-1. On Saturday, the Buckeyes registered a 3-1 loss.
Game One – Minnesota 3, Ohio State 3
In game one vs. Minnesota, senior forward Taylor Kuehl led the way for the Scarlet and Gray, notching two goals, including the game-tying score late in the third period of play. Fellow senior Danielle Gage also scored for the Buckeyes.
Game Two – Minnesota 3, Ohio State 1
In game two vs. Minnesota, sophomore forward Claudia Kepler scored the Buckeyes’ lone goal. Kepler put the Buckeyes on the board at 5:29 in the final stanza. The Buckeye defense held Minnesota scoreless in the third, while OSU’S penalty kill unit went 2-for-2 as the physicality ramped up.
MAVERICK MUSINGS
Minnesota State is coming off its first conference victory of the season. The Mavericks took down St. Cloud State, 5-1, behind three goals and an assist by freshman Nicole Schammel.
Schammel leads the Mavericks in scoring with a line of 7-10-17, which ranks fourth in the WCHA in scoring by a rookie. Another rookie, Hannah Davidson, is also in double-figures for the season with six goals and seven assists for 13 points.
Veteran Erin Krichiver and sophomore Brianna Quade split time defending the net. Krichiver has earned a save percentage of .907 and a goals against average of 3.97 in 20 games contested. Quade holds a save percentage of .893 and a 4.74 goals against average.
BUCKEYES VS. MAVERICKS
Ohio State holds the edge in the all-time series with the Mavericks, 53-11-6. Earlier this season, the Buckeyes swept the Mavericks in Mankato by scores of 3-1 and 2-0, respectively.
In game one, sophomore Breanne Grant posted two first period goals en route to a 3-1 victory over MSU. Grant contributed her first score of the season 3:16 into the opening period. She once again lit the lamp a short time later, giving the Buckeyes 2-0 lead. Junior Julia McKinnon also netted a goal in the third, while freshman goalie Kassidy Sauve recorded 16 saves.
In game two, the Buckeyes completed the series sweep with a 2-0-shutout win. Redshirt junior Stacy Danczak, who earned her first career start in goal for the Buckeyes, led the defensive effort with 17 saves. Senior Danielle Gagne scored her third goal of the season at the 4:18 mark, while junior Kendall Curtis added an empty-netter in the third period to the seal the win.
BUCKEYES OUT FRONT
Ohio State holds a record of 8-1-0 when leading after the first period of play and a 12-1-1 standing when ahead after two periods. On the flip side, the Buckeyes are 0-7-2 when behind after the first period and 0-10-2 when trailing to end the second period. The Scarlet and Gray have scored first in 17 games this season and are 13-3-1 with the opening goal.
THE CONFERENCE CHASE
The top-four finishers in the conference standings earn home-ice advantage for the WCHA playoffs and currently, 12 points separate the third- through sixth-place teams. Ohio State (31 points) fell to fifth after its series with North Dakota, but picked up a much needed point vs. the Gophers. Minnesota Duluth ranks third in the conference standings with 41 points, while North Dakota (38 points) stands fourth. Bemidji State is chasing the Buckeyes in sixth with 29 points overall.
SCORING STATS
Ohio State is led in scoring by Kepler, who has contributed a line of 10-10-20. After a two-goal performance vs. Minnesota, Kuehl ranks second on the team with 19 points on nine goals and 10 assists. A balanced scoring attack, 21 players have recorded one of more points for the Buckeyes this season.
Team captain Sara Schmitt has recorded four goals and 13 assists for 17 points on the season. She ranks sixth on Ohio State’s all-time list for scoring by a defenseman with 78 career points. With eight more points, Schmitt will pass Emily Hudak for fifth all-time. Kari Schmitt, on the other hand, stands eighth on the list with 74 career points. In the WCHA, Sara and Kari Schmitt rank tied for sixth among defensemen in points (17) and goals (4), as well as ninth in assists (13). Nationally, the pair is tied for 14th among defensemen in points.
In all, Ohio State’s defensive unit ranks ninth in the nation for scoring defense. Buckeye defenders have posted a total of 51 points on 12 goals and 39 assists.
BLOCK PARTY
Sophomore Alexa Ranahan has registered a team-best 50 blocks, which ranks sixth in the WCHA and 14th nationally among defensemen. Averaging 1.79 blocks per game, Ranahan is joined on the backend by a Buckeye defensive core credited with 178 blocks and 6.36 blocks per game this season.
BETWEEN THE PIPES
Danczak has suited up in 14 games this season, earning a goals against average of 1.45. Against Minnesota, Danczak recorded 29 stops overall. She has six wins on the season, with three losses and three ties. With a save percentage of .933, Danczak ranks 12th in the nation, as well as sixth in the WCHA.
Sauve has started in 16 games in goal for Ohio State and holds a record of 8-8-0. The Whitby, Ontario, native retains a save percentage of .921 and a goals against average of 2.12. Sauve’s total of five shutouts ranks seventh nationally and third in the WHCA. Among her freshmen peers, Sauve is third in the nation. Against Minnesota, she registered 41 saves.
THE ROOKIES
Seven freshmen joined the Buckeye roster this season – Dani Sadek (Lakeville, Minn.), Alison Gasuik (Buffalo, N.Y.), Jessica Dunne (O’Fallon, Mo.), Julianna Iafallo (Eden, N.Y.), Lauren Spring (Kelowna, B.C.), Alex LaMere (Albertville, Minn.) and Kassidy Sauve (Whitby, Ontario). Offensively, the class is led by Spring, who has three goals and four assists for seven points in 28 games played. Iafallo has also suited up in all 28 games, contributing four points on a goal and three assists.
FIVE COMMIT TO JOIN BUCKEYES
Five exceptional student-athletes have signed National Letters of Intent to enroll at The Ohio State University and play hockey for the Scarlet and Gray, women’s hockey head coach Nate Handrahan announced.
The contingent includes two forwards Madison Field and Dana Rasmussen, as well as three defensemen Lauren Boyle, Jincy Dunne and Mikaela Gardner. Two players hail from the state of Minnesota, while Missouri, Ontario and Illinois are also represented. The group is set to join the team in Fall 2015.
BOYLE, RASMUSSEN UP FOR MS. HOCKEY AWARD
Buckeye commits Boyle and Radmussen are both semifinalists for the 2015 Minnesota Ms. Hockey Award, Let’s Play Hockey recently announced. The recognition is issued to the top senior female high school hockey player in Minnesota. The five finalists for the award will be named in the Feb. 12 edition of Let’s Play Hockey, while the winner will be announced at a banquet on Feb. 22.
TICKETS, GET YOUR TICKETS
Tickets for the premiere postseason events in college hockey – the WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF and the Frozen Four – are both on sale now. The 2015 WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF, which will determine the league’s playoff champion and recipient of its automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament, will be held March 7 and 8 at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D. All-tournament packages or single-session tickets can be purchased at the Ralph Engelstad Arena box office, Ticketmaster Ticket Centers, by calling 800-745-3000 or online at ticketmaster.com.
Tickets for the 2015 NCAA Women’s Frozen Four at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis on March 20 and 22 are on sale now through MyGopherSports.com. Customers have three ticket options: all session tickets (one ticket to each semifinal game and one ticket to the championship game); Session I tickets (one ticket to the two semifinal games on March 20); or Session II tickets (one ticket to the championship game on March 22).
SELFE SIGNS WITH BUCKEYES
Erin Selfe, a fifth-grader at Liking Valley Intermediate, was adopted by the Buckeyes through Team IMPACT, a national nonprofit organization that matches children with life-threatening illnesses with college sports teams.
Selfe signed her honorary letter of intent at a press conference following Ohio State’s home matchup vs. Minnesota, making her an official Ohio State Buckeye.
“It’s honestly the biggest honor to have Erin as a member of our team,” senior forward Kayla Sullivan said. “We’re so thankful to be able to carry this relationship out for the rest of the year.”
ON TO THE NEXT ONE
Ohio State returns to competition vs. Wisconsin, Feb. 13-14. The Buckeyes and Badgers will meet in Columbus, with members of Ohio State’s senior class recognized following the series finale.
