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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 2 Ohio State women's hockey team fell in its season opener to No. 4 Colgate, 3-2, in a hard-fought top five matchup Friday evening from Class of 1965 Arena in Hamilton, N.Y. The Buckeyes (0-1-0) battled back from an early two-goal deficit to tie the game in the third period, but a last-minute goal from the Raiders (1-0-0) decided the game.
 
How it Happened

• Early penalties proved costly for the Buckeyes as Colgate took a 2-0 lead in the first 10 minutes of play on two power play goals. The Raiders' Elyssa Biederman scored first at 6:56 and Kristýna Kaltounková tallied the second at 9:26.
• But Ohio State scored a goal in both the second and third periods to even the contest at two apiece with 10:26 to play in the game.
• There was a momentum shift for the Buckeyes about seven minutes into the second period when Ohio State goaltender Amanda Thiele made a sliding save in a two-on-one situation, which turned into a two-on-one opportunity for Ohio State. Hadley Hartmetz took a shot that went wide of the Colgate net, but the chance resulted in sustained offensive pressure from Ohio State for the rest of the game.  
• Sophomore Sloane Matthews tallied the Buckeyes' first goal of the season a minute and a half later, cutting the Colgate lead to one at 8:38. She was assisted by Jordan Baxter.
• Ohio State went on to outshoot Colgate 26-14 in the second period and land 13 shots on net as it chipped away at the Raiders' advantage.
• Hannah Bilka scored the game-tying goal at 9:34 in the third period off a rebounded shot from Jenn Gardiner. Gardiner skated the puck into the Colgate zone from behind the Buckeyes net and sent a shot on cage, which rebounded into the slot and found Bilka in the slot.
• With 39 second to play in the game, Colgate's Emma Pais put one past Thiele to win the game.
• Ohio State pulled Thiele for the extra skater and managed to add two shots on goal in the final seconds of the game, but none found the back of the net.

Game Notes

• All 10 newcomers on the Buckeyes' 2023-24 roster skated in the season opener. Ohio State's roster welcomes freshmen Jocelyn Amos, Jordan Baxter, Joy Dunne and Delaney Fleming and transfer students Cayla Barnes, Hannah Bilka, Kelsey King, Stephanie Markowski, Olivia Mobley and Kiara Zanon.
• Graduate forward Kenzie Hauswirth played in her 100th career game on Friday. She has skated in 74 games for the Buckeyes over the last three seasons.
•  Baxter, a forward from Coquitlum, B.C., recorded her first point of her collegiate career with an assist in the season opener.
• Bilka tallied her first goal in the Scarlet & Gray sweater on Friday night. The graduate forward from Coppell, Texas now has 50 goals for her career and 79 points.  
• Ohio State outshot Colgate, 55-40, and landed 32 shots on target, compared to Colgate's 25.
• In her 49th start for the Buckeyes, Amanda Thiele finished the night with 22 saves.

Statistically Speaking
Total Shots: Ohio State 55, Colgate 40
Shots on Goal: Ohio State 32, Colgate 25
Saves: Colgate (Osborne) 30, Ohio State (Thiele) 22
Power Play: Colgate 2-5, Ohio State 0-2
Faceoffs: Colgate 31, Ohio State 27
Ohio State Scoring: Bilka (1-0-1), Matthews (1-0-1), Baxter (0-1-1), Gardiner (0-1-1)
 
Up Next
Ohio State looks to split the series with Colgate in game two tomorrow, Sept. 30 at 3 p.m. from Class of 1965 Arena. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required).