The Ohio State women’s hockey team huddles up before the Ohio State-Minnesota game Nov. 15. Ohio State won 3-1. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | For the Lantern
As the second half of the season commences, No. 5 Ohio State women’s hockey will seek its first triumph of the decade against Minnesota State.
The season’s second series between the Buckeyes (11-5-4, 6-3-3 WCHA) and Mavericks (7-10-4, 2-8-2) will span Friday and Saturday in Columbus, where Ohio State has taken four of its five losses.
In the teams’ two prior meetings in 2019, both results were a draw. Ohio State and Minnesota State remained tied at the end of regulation in both Mankato, Minnesota, matchups, but the Mavericks pulled out two extra league points with shootout wins both times.
“We hope to learn from our mistakes and come back and get them this round. Everyone’s itching to play,” freshman forward Ramsey Parent said.
Ohio State’s break has spanned nearly a month, with its last game taking place Dec. 15 in a win against Princeton.
In the meantime, Minnesota State has been afforded the chance to shake off the ice with two games in the Minnesota Cup, taking draws with both Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State Saturday and Sunday to capture third place.
While many collegiate teams continued their hockey season nearly a week ago, Ohio State awaits the feeling of putting on its skates on home ice.
Throughout the past 10 days, Ohio State has been preparing for the first match of the new year with mental regrouping and consistent practice. A key piece of the Buckeyes’ game preparation draws upon the lessons learned from the previous matchups with the Mavericks.
The Buckeyes outshot the Mavericks in both games of the previous series, taking a 79-53 shot advantage overall. Still, the scoring output was deadlocked in each case.
“We’re trying to keep those games in mind and remember what happened,” senior forward Olivia Soares said. “We’re letting that motivate us for what we’re getting into.”
One concept of their game plan is focusing on shot placement. In previous games, coach Nadine Muzerall has emphasized the importance of capitalizing on every attempt.
“We can’t be putting 41, 42 shots on the board and only coming away with a couple of goals,” Muzerall said.
The team considers this game a fresh start of the semester, with high hopes of entering the playoffs and competing in the Frozen Four for the second time in program history.
“We’re getting back to the basics, and we want to dictate the game with using our speed and strength,” Soares said.
While the Mavericks are unranked, they have played close games with highly ranked opponents in No. 1 Wisconsin and No. 10 Minnesota Duluth.
“We know [Minnesota State] is great. They’ve lost some really tight games against great opponents. We have to make sure we respect them,” Muzerall said.
The puck drops Friday at 6:07 p.m. and Saturday at 3:07 p.m. at the Ohio State Ice Rink.
