Ohio State women’s hockey team huddles up before their game against Wisconsin Nov. 28. The Buckeyes lost 5-0. Photo Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
Entering their fourth consecutive weekend of play, the Buckeyes are relying on continuity with Minnesota State coming to town.
This weekend, Ohio State (6-4-0) will host the Minnesota State Mavericks (4-7-1) in hopes of capitalizing on what head coach Nadine Muzerall said is their main strength: unity.
“What makes us strong is the united front. If the ship’s going down, we’re all going down. We look to our right, we look to our left when we’re getting pushed in front every single day,” Muzerall said.
The Buckeyes are fresh off of a series split against No. 6 Minnesota Duluth. This week, the team hopes to take down another top contender.
Before their matchup against the Bulldogs, Ohio State assistant coach Emily West said there is a heightened importance on every game the Buckeyes play.
“Our girls and our team go into the mindset that every weekend is crucial. We play top-ranked teams weekend in and weekend out. You just have to approach it one game at a time,” West said in an interview on the team’s Twitter Jan. 14.
The Mavericks come to Columbus after a week off from their last pair of wins at Bemidji State Jan. 8 and Jan. 9.
Minnesota State senior forward Brittyn Fleming scored the goal that tied the game late before senior defenseman Tristen Truax delivered the winning goal for Game 1 of the series against Bemidji State less than two minutes later. In Game 2, the Mavericks routed the Beavers 4-0.
The Buckeyes have a history of being dominant over Minnesota State with a 41-6-5 all-time record across their 52 meetings.
In past games, Minnesota State has exemplified a lot of speed and discipline while handling the puck. However, Muzerall said that Ohio State relies on its team captains for production on the offensive end.
“Our captains are our stronger offensive players. They may not be scoring but they get the momentum going and they make the push,” Muzerall said.
When that push occurs, it makes the younger players fly. Sophomore forward Brooke Bink got the game-winning rebound around the Bulldogs’ goalie for her first goal of the season in Ohio State’s 1-0 win against Minnesota Duluth Saturday.
Ohio State senior forward Emma Maltais ranks No. 2 in the conference with a faceoff win percentage of 0.623.
Junior goaltender Andrea Braendli enters the series with the Bulldogs after collecting her 11th career shutout last week against Minnesota Duluth.
Minnesota State sophomore Calla Frank earned WCHA’s Goaltender of the Week during their last series at Bemidji State and holds a 3-5-1 record this season. The goaltender also has a 0.909 save percentage and 2.62 goals against average. However, Muzerall said she does not doubt the team’s resilience against such a tough task.
“You feel it, you start to get down to yourself and you look to your left like, ‘Hey, there’s my girl and there’s my girl friend over there and we’re all doing it together,’ and that’s how we become unified. That is the biggest piece of our culture and our strength in how we perform,” Muzerall said.
While underneath the loom of a new semester and risks of COVID-19 cases rising, Muzerall insists that the players will choose to play through the trials and make intelligent decisions for the sake of themselves and their teammates.
“Embrace the suck. Embrace the productive discomfort. Embrace it,” Muzerall said.
This weekend’s series will be the first game where the players’ families are invited into the rink. The puck drop will be at 7:07 p.m. Friday and 3:07 p.m. Saturday.
