No. 1 Ohio State Hosts Minnesota State in Final Series of 2023

No. 1 Ohio State vs. Minnesota State
Date: Dec. 9/10, 2023
Time: 6 p.m./2 p.m.
Venue: OSU Ice Rink
Watch: B1G+
Live Stats: OhioStateBuckeyes.com
Rosters: Ohio State | Minnesota State
Game Notes: Ohio State | Minnesota State
Tickets: Ticketmaster

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 1 Ohio State women's hockey team closes out the 2023 calendar year with a home series against Minnesota State this weekend, Dec. 9-10. The Buckeyes (14-2-0, 11-1-0 WCHA) and Mavericks (7-10-0, 3-9-0 WCHA) faceoff 6 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the OSU Ice Rink.

Both games will be streamed on B1G+ (subscription required). Tickets for Ohio State women's hockey home games can be purchased HERE.

Buckeyes in a Nutshell

Ohio State is coming off three straight weekends of playing top-10 opponents. The Buckeyes played then-ranked No. 10 St. Cloud State last weekend, dropping game one, 2-1, but rebounding to earn a 6-2 victory in game two to split the series against the Huskies. Olivia Mobley led the team with two goals in the series. Amanda Thiele picked up the win in net for the Buckeyes.
This weekend is the team's final of four straight home series. The Buckeyes are 7-1 at the OSU Ice Rink this season.
Minnesota State is the final WCHA team Ohio State has yet to play this season. Ohio State is first in the conference standings with an 11-1-0 record and 31 points.
Jennifer Gardiner is the first Buckeye to hit 20 points this season and leads the team with 21 on the year. She has scored a team-high 10 goals and tallied 11 helpers for the Buckeyes. She has recorded at least a point in 10 of the last 11 games. The Surrey, B.C. native is sixth in the WCHA with .62 goals per game.
Hannah Bilka leads the team with 13 assists. She is sixth in the conference with .81 assist per game and
Buckeye netminders Raygan Kirk and Thiele are tied for sixth nationally with a .875 win percentage. Both have a 7-1-0 record, with their only losses coming against top-10 opponents. Kirk is seventh nationally with three shutouts and eighth in goals against average (1.295).
Ohio State remains atop the national polls for the third straight week. The Buckeyes are receiving 14 first-place votes in the USCHO.com poll and 13 in the USA Hockey/The Rink Live poll.
Jocelyn Amos leads the Ohio State squad on the faceoff, winning a team high 174 draws with a .594 win percentage. Her win total puts her at sixth in the league.
Ohio State moves up to second nationally in total goals scored with 77. The Buckeyes are also second in scoring margin (3.25). Through 16 games, Ohio State has outscored its opponents 77-25.
While the team won't play a game until January after this weekend's series, three current Buckeyes will take the ice with their national teams for the December Rivalry Series games. Gardiner is set to make her senior national team debut with Hockey Canada after being named to the December roster. She joins former Buckeyes Sophie Jaques and Emma Maltais on the roster. For USA Hockey, Cayla Barnes and Hannah Bilka will play in the games set for Dec. 14 and 16 in Ontario.

Series History – Buckeyes vs. Mavericks

Ohio State owns a 79-14-11 record against Minnesota State in the all-time series.
The Buckeyes are unbeaten against the Mavericks in the last 19 games, dating back to a 2-0 win in Mankato, Minn. on Dec. 2, 2018.
The teams last met in Columbus in January of last season. Ohio State earned 6-2 and 4-2 wins over Minnesota State.

Milestone Tracker

Olivia Mobley and Jenn Gardiner are five and six points, respectively, from 100 for their careers.
Gardiner, who now has 147 career points, has moved into sole control of sixth place in the Ohio State record book for career points. The record is held by Emma Maltais with 206.
Amanda Thiele's 47 career wins are good for second in program history. The record of 57 wins is held by Andrea Braendli.

Up Next
Ohio State opens the 2024 slate on the road at Minnesota Jan. 13-14. The team's first home series of the new calendar year is Jan. 19-20 against Minnesota Duluth. Ohio State has three regular season home series set in 2024 - Minnesota Duluth (Jan. 19-20), Bemidji State (Feb. 2-3) and St. Thomas (Feb. 16-17).

Tickets for Ohio State women's hockey can be purchased online HERE or by contacting the Ohio State Athletics Ticket Office at 1-800-GOBUCKS. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets prior to arriving on game day.

#GoBucks

Departments

Media

More

University

Information

Athletic Facilities

Athletics

The Team Shop

Get In The Game

Purchase Tickets

Purchase Tickets

Ticket Office

Resources

Schedules