The Ohio State Buckeyes listen to head coach Nadine Muzerall during the Ohio State – Wisconsin game on Nov. 28. Ohio State lost 0-5. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
The Ohio State women’s hockey team enters 2021 with the highest preseason ranking in program history, but will have to overcome two gaping holes at the forward position to get to the top.
Head coach Nadine Muzerall said the No. 3 Buckeyes hope to get over the hump and exceed their Frozen Four finish from a year ago.
“Finishing in the Frozen Four, falling short, has left that bitter taste in their mouth,” Muzerall said. “The bar continues to be set here at Ohio State in terms of women’s ice hockey. We used to aspire to the Frozen Four and that’s more in the rearview mirror.”
Losing forwards Emma Maltais and Tatum Skaggs — who finished fourth and ninth, respectively, in career points — will be the toughest challenge at the top of Ohio State’s offensive attack, but senior goaltender Andrea Braendli said in preseason camp that she is not worried with the experience on the team.
“I know that we lost a couple players, but we also gained a lot of confidence from the new players coming in and I feel like some of the older ones, some of the younger ones, especially, are going to step up and step into that position of goal scorer,” Braendli said. “We have a lot of talent in our team that can show off in every moment of the game.”
Aside from Maltais and Skaggs, the other seven who scored over 10 points in 2020 are all returning, headlined by junior forward Jennifer Gardiner who finished tied atop the team with eight goals in the COVID-19-shortened season.
Gardiner is joined on the front line by other experienced forwards in graduate Liz Schepers and seniors Gabby Rosenthal and Paetyn Levis — all of whom scored at least five goals a season ago.
The key piece of Ohio State’s offensive puzzle is sophomore forward Jenna Buglioni.
As a freshman, Buglioni played in all 20 games, turning heads as she tied for a team high in goals and recording a .157 shot percentage — the highest rate of any Buckeye with at least 50 shots in 2020.
On the defensive end, Ohio State only loses key defenseman Lisa Bruno, returning its longtime core in seniors Sophie Jaques and Madison Bizal with sophomore Riley Brengman looking to build off her impressive freshman season.
Jaques led the team with 33 blocked shots en route to third-Team All-Western Collegiate Hockey Association honors for the second season in a row while Bizal recorded 10 assists on the year — good for the second-most on the Buckeyes last season behind Maltais and Skaggs.
Brengman made a big impact on the blue line for Ohio State last year, blocking a shot per game in addition to finding the back of the net twice — the highest total of any defenseman in 2020 — earning her way to the WCHA All-Rookie team.
Patrolling the goal for her fourth season is Braendli, who will look to build on her legacy as the best goaltender in Ohio State women’s hockey history.
She already leads the program with 47 career wins and a 1.91 goals-against average as her .930 save percentage sits just seven points below the benchmark.
The Zurich, Switzerland, native has stopped 1,891 shots in her 78-game tenure, which averages just over 24 per game. Keeping that pace, she is set to finish her career over 100 blocked shots better than current record-holder Kassidy Sauve, Braendli’s predecessor.
Getting the puck past Braendli has proven difficult, but she said she is not worried about her accolades, but rather winning the national championship.
“All that matters is the team and the team’s success, not my individual success,” Braendli said. “I will see after the season where I am, but I really hope that we as a team could step up and win a big thing this year.”
The Buckeyes open the season Friday at the Ohio State Ice Rink at 6 p.m. against St. Thomas, who made the leap from Division III to Division I in the offseason. They meet again Saturday at 2 p.m., with both games streamed live on BTN+.
