OSU freshman forward Lauren Spring (27) prepares for a face-off during a game against Bemidji State Oct. 17. at the OSU Ice Rink. OSU won 5-1. Credit: Alexis Soares / Lantern reporter
The Ohio State women’s hockey team bounced back from a winless weekend against Wisconsin to sweep Bemidji State in a home series over the weekend.
The Buckeyes improved to 4-2-0 on the season and 2-2-0 in conference.
In Saturday’s matchup, OSU won 1-0.
With a little more than 11 minutes to play in the first period, the Buckeyes were on a power play following a hooking penalty by Bemidji senior forward Rachael Kelly. OSU scored on the play, but referees waved the goal off due to a Buckeye player illegally being in the crease.
Once Bemidji returned to full strength, the two teams held each other to a scoreless first period. Going into the second period, the Buckeyes came out of the locker room with high energy, and it took them only five minutes to score the game’s first goal. Senior forward Danielle Gagne put one past Bemidji freshman goalie Erin Deters on a breakaway, her second goal of the season.
Then it was Bemidji’s turn to have a goal disallowed. Referees reviewed the play and realized the net was off prior to the goal being scored.
In the last 17 minutes of the game the Buckeyes held on to their lead and fought off two power plays to defend their home ice and complete the sweep.
Freshman goalie Kassidy Sauve stopped a total of 15 shots and completed her second shutout of the season.
The two teams were able to keep the series from turning nasty, like it did last year. When the Buckeyes met the Beavers for a series last November, a brawl after the final whistle of the game resulted in 19 players being given game misconducts. The game set an NCAA record for penalty minutes with 318.
In the first game, played on Friday, junior forward Julie McKinnon scored a hat trick to lead the Buckeyes to a 5-1 victory. Junior forward Kendall Curtis added the team’s other two goals.
Curtis scored her first goal in the first period, tying the game after Bemidji goal scored by freshman forward Summer Thibodeau.
With the score still tied in the second period, McKinnon scored a goal 8:27 into the frame to push the Buckeyes ahead, and from then on it was all OSU. Another goal went on the board for the Buckeyes nearly three minutes later, when Curtis scored on the power play. Then McKinnon grabbed her second and third goals of the game in the third period.
The Buckeyes have a week off before a two-game series against St. Cloud State, scheduled for Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. The team will play this series at the Schottenstein Center, as opposed to its typical home of the OSU Ice Rink. Puck is set to drop at 6:07 p.m. for the game on Friday and 1:07 p.m. on Saturday.
