No. 1 Ohio State at No. 3 Minnesota
Date: Feb. 3/4, 2023
Time: 7 p.m. ET/3 p.m. ET
Venue: Ridder Arena
Watch: B1G+ ($)
Live Stats: GopherSports.com
Game Notes: Ohio State | Minnesota
Rosters: Ohio State | Minnesota
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The top-two teams in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) are set to meet this weekend, as the No. 1 Ohio State women’s hockey team faces off against No. 3 Minnesota Feb. 3-4 in Minneapolis, Minn. The Buckeyes (24-2-2, 19-2-1 WCHA) are currently second in the conference standings, two points behind the Gophers (22-3-2, 19-1-2 WCHA).
Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. ET Friday and 3 p.m. ET Saturday at Ridder Arena. Both games will be streamed on B1G+ (subscription required).
Buckeyes in a Nutshell
- Ohio State swept Minnesota State at home last weekend, earning 6-2 and 4-2 victories over the Mavericks. Madison Bizal recorded a team and career-high three assists while Paetyn Levis led the team with four points and three goals on the weekend.
- With a two-goal performance in the Buckeyes’ last series, Jenn Gardiner continues to lead the team with 42 points this season. She has recorded 16 goals and 26 assists in her senior season. The Surrey, B.C. native is eighth in the country in points per game (1.50) and tenth in assists per game (.93). She currently ranks tied for fifth in the country in total points this year.
- Emma Maltais leads the team with 27 assists on the year. The Ohio State record holder for career assists and points is now 10 points shy of 200 for her career. She is tied for second most assists this season nationally.
- Buckeye blueliner Sophie Jaques remains Ohio State’s top goal scorer with 19 goals on the year. The defenseman has recorded the third-most goals in the country and ranks eighth nationally in goals per game (.68).
- Ohio State has seen play split between goaltenders Amanda Thiele and Raygan Kirk this season. Thiele owns a 12-1-1 record for the Buckeyes, while Kirk has a .919 save percentage in 10 games played. Thiele ranks fourth nationally, and first in the WCHA, in win percentage (.893) and Kirk follows in fifth in the country (.850).
- The Buckeyes rank first in the country on the power play (.338) and in power play goals (27). The team is second in goals (126), scoring offense (4.50) and faceoff win percentage (.575). Ohio State is third in team points (327) and win percentage (.893) and fourth in assists (201) and scoring margin (2.75).
- Ohio State has won its last 10 games and is unbeaten in 18 of the last 19 games.
- For the tenth week in a row, Ohio State ranks No. 1 in both the USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls.
- The Buckeyes are second in the WCHA standings with 57 points, two points behind first-place Minnesota.
Series History – Buckeyes vs. Gophers
- Ohio State closes the regular season series against the Gophers this weekend in Minneapolis. Earlier this season, Ohio State finished 0-1-1 against Minnesota in Columbus.
- In its last trip to Ridder Arena, Ohio State won the 2022 WCHA Final Faceoff for just the second time in program history with a 3-2 overtime win over Minnesota.
- Ohio State is 8-3-2 against the Gophers at Ridder Arena in Coach Muzerall’s tenure. The Buckeyes are 15-12-2 against the Gophers since Muzerall took over the program in 2016.
Up Next
Ohio State hosts its final home series of the 2022-23 regular season Feb. 10-11 against St. Thomas. Puck drop between the Buckeyes and Tommies is set for 6 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday from the OSU Ice Rink.
#GoBucks
