Hockey

No. 2 Ohio State Takes Down No. 4 Minnesota, 6-5

\COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 2 Ohio State women's hockey team finished its first home weekend of the 2023-24 season with a 6-5 win over No. 4 Minnesota. With the win over the Gophers (5-2-0, 3-2-0 WCHA), the Buckeyes (7-1-0, 6-0-0 WCHA) earn their third straight sweep and third top-five win of the season.
 
How it Happened
  • Minnesota started the game with a 2-0 lead, scoring at 6:40 and 10:43 in the first period. The Gophers held Ohio State scoreless in the opening frame and both teams recorded 11 shots on goal.
  • The Buckeyes managed to eliminate the Minnesota lead with a four-goal second period, outscoring the Gophers 4-1 to take a 4-3 lead into the second intermission.
  • The first 10 minutes of the period saw freshman Jocelyn Amos score two goals and graduate Jenn Gardiner score her third goal of the weekend to give the Buckeyes a 3-2 lead. Amos scored at 3:46 and 8:24 while Gardiner found the back of the net at 6:02.
  • Sloane Matthews put the Buckeyes' fourth goal away with just 10 seconds remaining in the period.
  • Ohio State kept Minnesota to just seven shots on goal in the second frame to jump ahead.
  • The third period started with a Gopher goal 5:19 into play, but Ohio State lit the lamp twice in less than two minutes with a goal from Emma Peschel at 10:20 and Stephanie Markowski at 12:08 to give the Buckeyes a 6-4 lead.
  • Minnesota's final goal came at 18:24 and Ohio State goaltender Amanda Thiele made four saves and Hadley Hartmetz blocked another shot to hold to Gophers off in the final minute and a half.


Game Notes
  • Amos tallied her first multi-goal game and scored her first goals on home ice in her Buckeye career. She finished the weekend with three points, dishing an assist in the first game of the series.
  • Stephanie Markowski recorded her first goal as a Buckeye for the team's sixth and final goal of the game. The goal is her 17th of her career and second point this season.
  • Jenn Gardiner was +4 on the day and was on the ice for all six of the Buckeyes' goals.
  • Amanda Thiele made 23 stops to earn her third win of the season.
  • The Buckeyes sweep of the Gophers is their first since the 2021-22 season. That year, Ohio State earned 4-2 and 4-1 wins over Minnesota in Minneapolis (Oct. 1-2, 2021). The program's last sweep on home ice against Minnesota came the previous season, with Ohio State defeating the Gophers 2-1 and 3-2 on Feb. 12-13, 2021.
  • Ohio State's six goals against Minnesota are the most the team has scored against the Gophers since its 7-1 win on Jan. 12, 2007.
Statistically Speaking
Total Shots: Ohio State 72, Minnesota 46
Shots on Goal: Ohio State 52, Minnesota 28
Saves: Minnesota (Vetter) 46, Ohio State (Thiele) 23
Power Play: Minnesota 3-4, Ohio State 1-6
Faceoffs: Ohio State 39, Minnesota 36
Ohio State Scoring: Gardiner (1-2-3), Amos (2-0-0), Matthews (1-1-2), Barnes (0-2-2), Bilka (0-2-2), Markowski (1-0-1), Peschel (1-0-0), King (0-1-1), Hartmetz (0-1-1)
 
Up Next
Ohio State heads back to Minnesota next weekend to play Bemidji State Nov. 3-4 in Bemidji. The Buckeyes and Beavers face off at 7 p.m. ET Friday and 4 p.m. ET Saturday from the Sanford Center. The games will be streamed on B1G+ (subscription required).
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