No. 5 Buckeyes Face No. 1 Gophers for Hockey Day Minnesota
1/15/2020 2:02:13 PM | Women's Ice Hockey
ADDITIONAL INFO
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 5-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes (13-5-4, 8-3-3 WCHA) will travel to Minneapolis, Minn. to face off against No. 1 Minnesota (19-1-3, 11-1-2 WCHA) in a Top 5 showdown. Friday’s game will be held at Ridder Arena at 6:07 p.m. CT while Saturday’s contest will be played at the outdoor Parade Stadium as part of Hockey Day Minnesota 2020. Puck drop is slated for 4:30 p.m. CT and will be televised on Fox Sports North.
More information on the full schedule of events for Hockey Day Minnesota and ticket information can be found here.
“Anytime you’re facing off with the number one team in the country, you’re going to have excitement,” said head coach Nadine Muzerall. “The girls had great energy this week knowing who we’re playing and we’re going there to take care of business. We have an opportunity to knock off a number one team, so we’re going to take advantage and try to get to our goal of hosting our first NCAA tournament.”
Last time out
The Buckeyes opened 2020 in spectacular fashion with a conference sweep against Minnesota State. Ohio State outscored the Mavericks 14-4 on the weekend while nine different players posted goals and 14 skaters tallied assists.
Andrea Braendli posted her first shutout of the season in Friday’s 6-0 win while Emma Maltais scored a power play goal and tallied three assists for a game-high four points. Junior defender Lisa Bruno scored her first goal of the season in the contest while Tatum Skaggs, Liz Schepers, Rebecca Freiburger and Gabby Rosenthal added to the score sheet. The Buckeyes closed the weekend with an 8-4 victory while freshman Jenn Gardiner scored two goals and Maltais scored a short-handed goal.
Rebecca Freiburger (Rochester, Minn.) on playing in Hockey Day Minnesota as a senior
Buckeye Bits
- Emma Maltais notched a team-high seven points against Minnesota State from two goals and five assists. She earned the WCHA Forward of the Week honor in addition to the NCAA Second Star of the Week for her performance.
- Maltais leads the team with 38 points on the season (15 goals, 23 assists). She sits seventh in Ohio State history with 121 career points.
- Jincy Dunne led the defense over the weekend with four points from one goal and three assists. She earned the WCHA Defenseman of the Week honor on Jan. 14.
- Liz Schepers has a team-high 17 goals and is second on the team with 31 points.
- The Buckeyes were 3-7 on the power play over the weekend while Mankato went 1-5.
- Andrea Braendli recorded her first shutout of the season on Friday and the seventh of her career. Overall, she is 10-4-4 this season.
- Freshman goaltender Quinn Kuntz earned her first collegiate minutes for the Scarlet and Gray as she entered Saturday’s contest in the eighth minute of the third period.
Sophomore defender Madison Bizal (Elk River, Minn.) on returning to her home state to play the No. 1 Gophers
Series history against Minnesota
The Buckeyes and Gophers last met in Columbus where Ohio State dished Minnesota its first and only loss of the season. The Scarlet and Gray took game one with a 4-3 win with goals from Liz Schepers, Gabby Rosenthal and Emma Maltais. Schepers scored the opening goal along with the game-winning goal late in the third period while Andrea Braendli posted 33 saves in the contest.
Minnesota outlasted Ohio State in the series finale, 4-2. Freshman Jenn Gardiner put the Buckeyes on the board first but four-straight Gopher goals solidified the win for Minnesota. Schepers tallied a late goal but the Gophers took the win and avoided the conference sweep.
More on the Gophers
Minnesota is entering the weekend with a record of 19-1-3. Last weekend, the Gophers swept St. Cloud State and put up seven goals to the Huskies’ one. Sophomore forward Taylor Heise and freshman defender Madeline Wethington led the way with two goals each on the weekend.
Redshirt senior Sarah Potomak leads the Gophers with 31 points from a team-high 17 assists and 14 goals. Junior Grace Zumwinkle follows with 30 total points and has a team-high 16 goals scored on the season. On defense, Wethington has 13 points from five goals and eight assists. On special teams, senior forward Alex Woken has a team-high three power play goals.
Senior goaltender Sydney Scobee has played in 23 games this season for a record of 18-1-3. She has allowed 31 goals for a goals against average of 1.38.
Up Next
- Ohio State will return home for a two-week home swing.
- The Buckeyes play their last non-conference opponent on Jan. 24-25 against Quinnipiac. The following weekend, Ohio State will face off against Bemidji State on Jan. 31-Feb. 1.
