The No. 1 Ohio State women’s hockey team celebrates scoring a goal against No. 6 Wisconsin Saturday in Columbus. Ohio State won 5-0. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor
Graduate forward Paetyn Levis secured her first hat trick of the season, guiding No. 1 Ohio State to shut out No. 6 Wisconsin in a 5-0 clean sweep Saturday in Columbus.
Levis scored in each period, with graduate forward Emma Maltais and senior forward Jennifer Gardiner filling in the other two goals, leading the Buckeyes to win both games in this weekend’s home series. Junior goaltender Amanda Thiele played in her first game since Dec. 17, upholding a strong defense to ensure Ohio State was the only team to see the puck through to the back of the net.
Levis attributed her goals to both the help of her teammates and the effort behind them.
“I think that shows kind of how goals start going and you can’t really force it,” Levis said. “You do the little things behind the plays and you work hard, and then you get rewarded for them.”
Quickly after puck drop, the Buckeyes (20-2-2, 15-2-1 WCHA) scored twice in under four minutes. Levis scored the first goal at 1:57, her 24th goal of the season, and just two minutes later, Maltais scored her 22nd goal.
By the end of the first period, the score was still 2-0 after Wisconsin (16-7-1, 12-5-1 WCHA) fell short of capitalizing on two potential power plays. Heading into the second period, both teams were only allowed four players on the ice due to penalties assessed in the final seconds in the first frame.
The Buckeyes scored again slightly over two minutes into the second period when Gardiner found the back of the net immediately after an Ohio State power play, her 12th goal of the season.
Halfway through the frame, the Badgers started to gain traction when penalties resulted in a 5-on-4 Wisconsin advantage, but Thiele blocked every attempted shot.
Thiele described the game as a confidence booster heading into the remainder of the season.
“My teammates helped me a lot, so they built my confidence, and then I just went from there and didn’t get many shots from a great team like that,” Thiele said. “I think it’s a great start for the second half of the season.”
By the end of the second period, the Buckeyes managed to stop all four of Wisconsin’s attempted power plays.
Levis scored over two minutes into the third period and then again with three minutes left.
“I think we won with a lot of pride today. Obviously 17 shots to 39, that’s a statement, and I think 5-0, that’s another statement,” Levis said. “So I think that’s huge for people that weren’t at the game and didn’t see it, to show them how much we did dominate that game.”
Head coach Nadine Muzerall said the Buckeyes’ hard work in practice translated to a strong performance in a high-profile game.
Muzerall highlighted Levis’ breakthrough game Saturday.
“It was really nice to see her being so rewarded because she does all the right things,” Muzerall said.
Junior forward Makenna Webster, playing against her former team of two years, also played a key role in supporting the Buckeyes’ foundation, assisting in four of the five goals, recording a career high.
Muzerall expressed the significance of the weekend for Webster, not only because she was battling against former teammates, but because she filled in after graduate forward Gabby Rosenthal left halfway through with an apparent injury.
“She just goes and goes, but she’s controlled at the same time,” Muzerall said. “She has great vision and is a very selfless player.”.
The Buckeyes will play again next weekend in a series beginning Jan. 20 at St. Cloud State.
