Ohio State then-freshman forward Tatum Skaggs (11) races to the puck in the first period of the game against Minnesota Jan. 19. Ohio State won 3-2. Credit: Jack Westerheide | Former Managing Editor for Design
Ohio State women’s hockey is the only team to defeat Minnesota this season, and it will have the chance to do so again when the two top 5 programs meet this weekend.
No. 5 Ohio State (13-5-4, 8-3-3 WCHA) will take on No. 1 Minnesota (19-1-3, 11-2-1) Friday at Ridder Arena and Saturday outdoors at Parade Stadium as part of the state of Minnesota’s Hockey Day events.
“It’s a confidence booster as a team knowing we were able to hand them a loss,” senior forward Rebecca Freiburger said. “But it’s also something we can’t dwell too much on. We have to move forward for this series and have a game plan for that.”
The teams split their first series Oct. 25 and 26, as the Buckeyes drew the first win 4-3 at home, but got outscored 4-2 the following day against the Gophers.
Failure to convert a power play in the second game became a teaching point for head coach Nadine Muzerall that has spanned the rest of the season.
“Capitalizing on power plays is one of the main three focuses for the second half of the season,” Muzerall said. “And I think we’ve done a great job seeing that last week, and that’s just going to build morale and mental toughness.”
Muzerall said another team focus is staying out of the penalty box. In the Buckeyes’ 8-4 win against Minnesota State this past Saturday, the team received four penalties, including one on junior forward Tatum Skaggs.
Against Minnesota, the Buckeyes can’t afford to lose their third-leading point scorer. The Gophers possess the No. 2 scoring offense in the country, averaging 4.17 goals per game.
Chief among the Minnesota scoring front is junior forward Grace Zumwinkle, who has scored 16 goals in 23 games –– top 15 in the country in goals per game.
Ohio State boasts two of the country’s top 15 scorers in its own right, as junior forwards Liz Schepers and Emma Maltais have 17 and 15 goals, respectively.
The Buckeyes are no stranger to Minnesota. A third of them are from the state, and three Ohio State coaches suited up for the Gophers during their collegiate careers.
“In the state of Minnesota, every community and high school have their own rink, and it’s hard to ignore the importance of hockey when you have a rink everywhere,” Muzerall said. “Especially with the tradition of the Gophers.”
Muzerall, who played for Minnesota from 1997 to 2001, holds the record for all-time career goals (139) and goals per game (1.08) at the school, and she won a national championship as both a player and assistant coach with the program.
Saturday’s outdoor game is part of the 14th-annual Hockey Day Minnesota, a three-day event that features competitions ranging from youth to the NHL.
Some of the Buckeyes’ Minnesota natives grew up with the tradition.
“[Hockey Day] is a fun experience and a cool atmosphere,” sophomore defenseman Madison Bizal said. “One year, my hometown, Elk River, hosted it and I was able to play outside with my youth team, so there are always tons of people there and it’s nationally televised.”
The puck drops at 7:07 p.m. Friday, and the series will close out starting at 4:30 p.m. Saturday.
