Ohio State Hosts Bemidji State in WCHA Quarterfinals This Weekend
2/23/2023 10:12:44 AM | Women's Ice Hockey
*Due to the women’s basketball home game at the same time on Friday, fans must self identify as attending the women’s hockey game for free parking in the lots surrouding the OSU Ice Rink.
No. 1 Ohio State vs. Bemidji State
Date: Feb. 24-26, 2023
Time: 6 p.m./3 p.m./3 p.m. (if needed)
Venue: OSU Ice Rink
Watch: B1G+ ($)
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
Game Notes: Ohio State | Bemidji State
Rosters: Ohio State | Bemidji State
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 1 Ohio State women’s hockey team begins its postseason this weekend, hosting No. 8 seed Bemidji State in the quarterfinals of the WCHA tournament. The best-of-three series will be played Feb. 24-26 at the OSU Ice Rink. Puck drop is set for 6 p.m. Friday, 3 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday, if needed.
The WCHA quarterfinal games will be ticketed. Fans can purchase single game tickets HERE or two-game ticket packages HERE. The games will also be streamed on B1G+ (subscription required).
Buckeyes in a Nutshell
- In the final weekend of the regular season, the Buckeyes won the 2022-23 WCHA regular season title after earning four conference points against Wisconsin in Madison. Ohio State defeated the Badgers, 3-1, in game two of the series to take home the Julianne Bye Cup for the first time in program history.
- Madison Bizal and Emma Maltais were awarded the final conference player of the week honors after their performance against Wisconsin. Bizal earned Defender of the Week after scoring two goals in the final minute of play in the team’s 3-1 win, assisting the game-tying goal and blocked seven shots on the day. Maltais recorded two goals in last Saturday’s game, helping the team overcome a 4-0 first period deficit to tie the game at 5-5 and go to overtime. She also scored the game-tying goal in Sunday’s win.
- Maltais’ four-point weekend put her at 200 points for her career. As the program record holder in career points, she is the first Buckeye skater to reach the mark. She is one of six active players in the NCAA with 200 career points.
- Jenn Gardiner has recorded a team-high 53 points on the year. She is also tied with Maltais with a team-best 33 assists this season. Her 1.56 points per game rank seventh in the country.
- Paetyn Levis has scored a team-high 21 goals this year. The graduate forward is three goals from tying her career-best 24 goals in a single season.
- Goaltender Amanda Thiele leads the Buckeye goaltending unit with 15 wins on the year. She has a .903 save percentage in 19 games played this season. Raygan Kirk has seen action in 11 games, winning eight and posting a .912 save percentage. Thiele is fourth nationally and first in the WCHA with a .861 win percentage.
- Ohio State enters the first weekend of the postseason at the top of both national polls. In the USCHO.com poll, the Buckeyes are receiving 16 of 20 first place votes and 296 overall points. In the USA Today/ USA Hockey Magazine poll, the team has 13 of 19 first-place votes and 279 points overall.
- The Buckeyes are tied for first in the country with 152 goals scored this season. The team is scoring an average of 4.47 goals per game and beating its opponents by a 2.65 goal differential.
- Every Buckeye who satisfied the residency requirement for the WCHA All-Academic team, 18 total, received the award for earning a 3.00 GPA. Fourteen of those student-athletes were also named WCHA Scholar-Athletes for GPAs of 3.5 and higher.
- The Buckeyes are 30-34-0 all-time in the WCHA tournament. This year marks the sixth time Ohio State will host its quarterfinal games of the tournament.
Series History – Buckeyes vs. Beavers
- Ohio State swept the regular season series against Bemidji State this year.
- In the teams’ last meeting in Columbus, the Buckeyes outscored the Beavers 12-1.
- During the series, Sophie Jaques became the program record holder for points by a defenseman.
- In the all-time series, Ohio State leads, 54-29-13.
Up Next
The winner of this weekend’s quarterfinal series will advance to the 2023 Kwik Trip WCHA Final Faceoff at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis, Minn. Semifinals are set for Friday, March 3 at 2 pm and 6 pm ET. The championship game will be played at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 4.
#GoBucks
