Three members of the Ohio State Women’s Ice Hockey team were voted to the Preseason All-WCHA Team. Graduate defenseman Sophie Jaques, graduate forward Emma Maltais and junior goaltender Amanda Thiele all received the honor. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Lantern file photo
A trio of Ohio State women’s hockey players were voted to the Preseason All-WCHA Team by Western Collegiate Hockey Association coaches, according to a release Tuesday.
The list includes graduates defenseman Sophie Jaques and forward Emma Maltais and junior goaltender Amanda Thiele.
Jaques, the 2022 WCHA Defender of the Year, led the team with an Ohio State defenseman-record 59 points.
Thiele is the only goaltender named to the preseason all-conference team after setting the program record for season goals-against average at 1.31, according to the release.
Maltais, a three-time gold medalist with Team Canada, is returning for her final season with the Buckeyes. Maltais spent last year with Team Canada, winning an Olympic gold medal in August.
Head coach Nadine Muzerall said the return of Maltais will not only help on-ice production, but will provide extra leadership qualities in the locker room.
“Emma is going to bring a huge value to our team that she couldn’t do before — she’d never been in that situation,” Muzerall said Monday.
This season marks the first in history the Buckeyes earned the No. 1 overall rankings in both DCU/USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey preseason polls, according to the release.
