Ohio State Opens New Year with Top-Ranked Tilt at Minnesota

No. 1 Ohio State at No. 2 Minnesota
Date: Jan. 12/13, 2024
Time: 7 p.m./3 p.m.
Venue: Ridder Arena
Watch: B1G+
Live Stats: OhioStateBuckeyes.com
Rosters: Ohio State | Minnesota
Game Notes: Ohio State | Minnesota

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 1 Ohio State women's hockey team is set to play its first game in 33 days this weekend against No. 2 Minnesota. The Buckeyes (16-2-0, 13-1-0 WCHA) and Gophers (16-3-1, 10-3-1-1 WCHA) meet in Minneapolis, Minn. at Ridder Arena 7 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Saturday.

The teams finish their 2023-24 regular season series this weekend. Ohio State heads to Minnesota with a 2-0-0 lead in the series.

Both games will be streamed on B1G+ (subscription required). Saturday's game will also be broadcast on Fox9+ in Minnesota.

Buckeyes in a Nutshell

Before the break, Ohio State finished its 2023 slate with a sweep of Minnesota State in Columbus. The Buckeyes earned 6-1 and 4-1 wins over the Mavericks.
The Buckeyes enter the match up against Minnesota 16-2-0 on the year, the program's best start to a season in its 25-season history.
Leading the team in the new year is graduate forward Jennifer Gardiner with 23 points and 11 goals. The 2023 Patty Kazmaier Top 10 Finalist is fifth in the league in goals per game (.61) and seventh in total points and points per game (1.28).
Hannah Bilka, also a graduate forward, is second on the team in points (22) and has recorded a team-high 16 assists.
Every skater has recorded at least two points for the Buckeyes this season. Goaltender Amanda Thiele also has an assist, giving 20 of 23 players a point.
Cayla Barnes leads the Buckeyes, and the WCHA, with a +32 on the year.
Barnes owns the Buckeyes' longest active point streak with a point in the last seven games. The streak started with an assist in the 2-1 overtime win over Wisconsin (Nov. 18). Jenna Buglioni is on a six-game point streak, starting with a point in the Buckeyes' 11-0 win over St. Lawrence Nov. 24.
Splitting time in goal for Ohio State are fifth-year Raygan Kirk and senior Amanda Thiele. Both are 8-1 on the year. Kirk has three shutouts through the first half of the season and Thiele has earned one. The duo ranks fifth nationally in win percentage (.889).
This weekend's series marks the second time this season Ohio State will play in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup. The Buckeyes played Wisconsin in the fall as the second ranked team against the then-ranked No. 1 Badgers. Ohio State swept Wisconsin in Columbus, earning a 3-0 and 2-1 overtime win.
Ohio State is receiving every vote for first place in both national polls this week. The top three teams in the nation belong to the WCHA with Minnesota second and Wisconsin third.
Gardiner and Kenzie Hauswirth were recognized as recipients of the 2023 1A FAR Academic Excellence Award this month. The award is given to student-athletes who graduate with a cumulative GPA of 3.80 or above and have participated at least two years of NCAA intercollegiate athletics at a FBS institution.

Series History – Buckeyes vs. Gophers

The Buckeyes won the first two meetings against the Gophers in the fall. In its first home series of the season, Ohio State earned a 4-3 overtime win in game one and a 6-5 win in regulation in game two.
Ohio State is 26-82-6 all-time against Minnesota but leads the series 18-15-3 since head coach Nadine Muzerall took over the program in 2016.
In Muzerall's tenure, the Buckeyes are 15-10-2 at Ridder Arena, including both regular season and post season games.
The last time Ohio State played at Ridder Arena was in the 2023 WCHA Final Faceoff. The Buckeyes played in their fifth consecutive championship game, but fell to Minnesota, 3-1, last season.
The Buckeyes and Gophers meet as top-five teams for the second time this season. In the fall, Ohio State was No. 2 and Minnesota was fourth in the first series of the year.

Milestone Tracker

Buglioni and Olivia Mobley are three and four points, respectively, from 100 for their careers.
Gardiner, who now has 149 career points, sits in sixth place in the Ohio State record book for career points. The record is held by Emma Maltais with 206.
Amanda Thiele's 48 career wins are good for second in program history. The record of 57 wins is held by Andrea Braendli.

Up Next
Ohio State plays its first home series of the new year Jan. 19-20 against Minnesota Duluth at the OSU Ice Rink. Puck drop is set for 6 p.m. in game one and 2 p.m. in game two. The games will also be streamed on B1G+ (subscription required).

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.

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