COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 1 Ohio State women’s hockey team defeated St. Cloud State, 5-2, in front of a packed crowd at the OSU Ice Rink on Friday night. The Buckeyes (3-0-0, 3-0-0 WCHA) notched their first power play goal of the year and saw nine point scorers in the game one matchup against the Huskies (2-1-0, 0-1-0 WCHA).

How it Happened

After the first 20 minutes of action from the OSU Ice Rink this season, the Buckeyes and Huskies were even at zero. Ohio State managed to kill a 3-v-5 situation and grew its shots on goal advantage to 11-1 in the first frame. A shot by Sophie Jaques hit the pipe with seven seconds to play in the period, but the Buckeyes were unable to get on the scoreboard.

The second period started just as the first ended – with a shot on the power play by Jaques. This time, the graduate defenseman found the back of the net for Ohio State just 15 seconds into the period. Rosenthal added onto the Buckeye lead just two and a half minutes later, collecting a rebounded shot from Jenn Gardiner to give Ohio State the 2-0 lead at 2:48.

St. Cloud State managed to score its first of the game at 3:44 into the second frame, but both teams went the remainder of the period without a goal. After 40 minutes, Ohio State had 29 shots to St. Cloud State’s nine and held a 2-1 lead.

The third period saw the Buckeye score three goals, including two from freshman Sloane Matthews. The Plymouth, Minn. native tallied her first career goal, and the game-winning goal, for Ohio State at 1:27 into the period. Five and half minutes later, she redirected a shot from Lauren Bernard to give her team the 4-2 edge over St. Cloud State. The Huskies added a second goal at 11:17 to bring the game within two scores.

With 1:06 to play, St. Cloud State pulled goaltender Sanni Ahola for the extra attacker opportunity. But Paetyn Levis sealed the deal with an empty net goal with two seconds to play to bring the Buckeye lead to 5-2.

Raygan Kirk earned her first start of the season on Friday night. The senior made 13 saves for the Buckeyes.

Game Notes

• Prior to the game, the Buckeyes recognized 2022 Olympians and current players Sofie Lundin and Emma Maltais. Both players made their Olympic debuts at the Beijing Winter Olympic Games in February. Maltais earned a gold medal with Team Canada while Lundin skated for Team Sweden
• Scoring the second goal of the night for Ohio State, Gabby Rosenthal has now scored in each of the Buckeyes three games this season. She has now tallied 75 career points with 40 goals and 35 assists.
• Raygan Kirk made her fifth start of her Buckeye career on Friday. She is now 5-0-0 in the Scarlet and Gray sweater.
• Jenn Gardiner led the Buckeyes with three points in the game. The senior dished three assists and now leads the team with four apples on the year.
• Sloane Matthews made her mark in her first home game of her career. The freshman scored two goals, including her first career goal and the game winning goal for Ohio State.
• Sophie Jaques, who led the Buckeyes with 11 power play goals last season, recorded the team’s first power play goal of the 2022-23 season.
• Freshman Sydney Morrow also tallied her first point of her career against St. Cloud State with an assist on the team’s second goal.
• The Buckeyes outshot the Huskies 82-28. Ohio State has more than doubled its opponents shot total in every game this season.

Statistically Speaking
Shots: Ohio State 82, St. Cloud State 28
Saves: St. Cloud State (Ahola) 36, Ohio State (Kirk) 13
Power Play: Ohio State 1-2, St. Cloud State 0-3
Faceoffs: Ohio State 40, St. Cloud State 14
Ohio State Scoring: Gardiner (0-3-3), Matthews (2-0-2), Levis (1-1-2), Jaques (1-0-1), Rosenthal (1-0-1), Bernard (0-1-1), Brengman (0-1-1), Lundin (0-1-1), Morrow (0-1-1)

Up Next

The Buckeyes and Huskies meet Saturday at 3 p.m. for game two of the series. Ohio State will recognize the 2022 national championship team on the ice at approximately 2:28 p.m. following on-ice warmups. The national championship celebration will also be streamed on the Ohio State women’s hockey Facebook page. Admission and parking at women’s hockey games is free.

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