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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State women’s hockey head coach Nadine Muzerall announced Saturday the signing of Cayla Barnes and Hannah Bilka for the 2023-24 season. Barnes and Bilka join the Buckeyes after four seasons at Boston College.
Barnes, a native of Eastvale, Calif., is a two-time Olympian for USA Hockey. The defenseman won silver with Team USA at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and silver at the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang. She has earned a spot on four World Championship teams, playing in three. She won gold at the World Championships in 2019 and silver in 2021 and 2022. Barnes has also helped Team USA to two Four Nations Cups (2017, 2018).
Bilka, from Coppell, Texas, has also played for the U.S. senior national team. In 2022, she was selected to the World Championship roster, helping the team to a silver medal finish in the tournament. The forward finished the tournament third overall in scoring with 12 points in seven games. She was also invited to the USA Hockey Women’s National Festival in 2020 and 2021. Bilka won gold with USA Hockey at the 2018 U18 World Championships.
In her collegiate career, Barnes was a two-time captain for the Eagles, helping the team to three NCAA Tournament appearances. Last season, she recorded 19 points on six goals and 13 assists and blocked 63 shots. She helped the team to top-ten regular season ranks on the penalty kill and in scoring defense in 2022-23.
Bilka joined Barnes as a captain for the 2022-23 season and finished the year with a team-high 41 points and 29 assists. She added 12 goals on the year to finish second on the team. She also tied for a team-best +21 on the year. The 2019-20 WHCA and Hockey East Rookie of the Year was ranked among the best in the conference in assists and points per game.
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