Ohio State, Minnesota Duluth Set For Final Faceoff Semifinals
3/1/2023 2:53:16 PM | Women's Ice Hockey
No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 7 Minnesota Duluth
Date: March 1, 2023
Time: 2 p.m. ET
Venue: Ridder Arena
Watch: B1G+ ($)
Live Stats: Gophersports.com
Game Notes: Ohio State | Minnesota Duluth
Rosters: Ohio State | Minnesota Duluth
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 1 Ohio State women’s hockey team will faceoff against No. 7 Minnesota Duluth in the semifinals of the 2023 Kwik Trip WCHA Final Faceoff Friday, March 3 at 2 p.m. ET. The No. 1 seed Buckeyes (30-4-2, 23-4-1 WCHA) and No. 4 seed Bulldogs (25-8-3, 17-8-3 WCHA) will play in the first semifinal of the tournament for a spot in the Final Faceoff championship game.
All three games of the WCHA Final Faceoff will be streamed on B1G+ (subscription required).
Buckeyes in a Nutshell
- Ohio State swept Bemidji State in the WCHA quarterfinals last weekend, earning 4-1 and 2-1 wins in Columbus. Sophie Jaques recorded a hat trick in game one and Makenna Webster recorded her 100th point in the series to help the Buckeyes advance to the Final Faceoff.
- Sophie Jaques was named the WCHA Defender of the Month for February. She earned a league-high +11 last month and blocked nine shots. She also led league defensemen with nine points. The award is her third of the year.
- Ohio State continues to be led in points by Jenn Gardiner. Gardiner has tallied 54 points on the year, good for fifth nationally. She also ranks among the top-10 skaters in the country in assists per game (.92) and points per game (1.50).
- Jaques leads the Buckeyes with a career-high 22 goals this season. She is tenth nationally in goals.
- Emma Maltais, the Buckeyes’ career assists record holder, paces the team with 35 helpers on the year. She is tied for fourth in the program record book for season assists and is five assists from tying her own program record reached in 2019-20.
- Amanda Thiele has earned a record of 17-2-1 in goal for Ohio State this season. She has made 370 saves on the year for a .905 save percentage and a 1.90 goals against average.
- Ohio State holds at the top of the rankings headed into the Final Faceoff. The team is receiving 17 of 20 first-place votes in the USCHO.com poll and 14 of 19 first-place votes in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll. Ohio State has received the No. 1 ranking in either poll in all but two weeks this season.
- The team leads the country with a .344 power play percentage and is second in power play goals (32), scoring offense (4.39) and goals (158).
- 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.
- Ohio State has won 30 games this season, marking the second consecutive year, and second time in program history, the Buckeyes have earned 30 wins in a single season. The Buckeyes have five 20+ win seasons under head coach Nadine Muzerall. The team finished the regular season with a program-record 23 conference wins.
- The Buckeyes are 15-3-0 on the road this season. Friday’s game is the team’s first neutral site game of the season.
Ohio State in the Final Faceoff
- The Buckeyes have advanced to the WCHA semifinal 15 times in program history.
- This year is the sixth consecutive time the Buckeyes have made the trip to the semifinals. The streak started in 2018.
- Ohio State has played in four WCHA championship games.
- The team is 33-35-0 all-time in the WCHA tournament.
Series History – Buckeyes vs. Bulldogs
- Ohio State and Minnesota Duluth have met four times this season headed into Friday’s matchup.
- Ohio State won the regular season series 3-1 over the Bulldogs.
- The last time the two teams met in the post season was the 2022 national championship game, which Ohio State won, 3-2.
- Six of the last seven meetings between Ohio State and Minnesota Duluth have been decided by one goal.
Up Next
The winner of Friday’s semifinal game will advance to the championship game of the 2023 Kwik Trip WCHA Final Faceoff. The game is set for 3 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 4.
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