Friday's action in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association was highlighted by series-opening victories from No. 1 Wisconsin, No. 2 Ohio State, and No. 3 Minnesota, while No. 15 St. Cloud State and No. 8 Minnesota Duluth battled to a draw in Duluth.
No. 2 Ohio State 7, No. 14 Minnesota State 4 | BOX SCORE | Ohio State Recap | Minnesota State Recap
- A four-goal game from Ohio State's Joy Dunne helped the second-ranked Buckeyes to a 7-4 victory against No. 14 Minnesota State on the road; the Buckeyes extended their win streak to five-straight games.
- Dunne's four goals in the win tied her single-game career high, as this marked the second time this season she has recorded four goals in a game; Jocelyn Amos tallied two goals and two assists to tie a career-high.
- Three Mavericks recorded multi-point games as Mercury Bischoff scored two goals, Ayla Puppe had a goal and an assist, and Whitney Tuttle tallied two helpers.
- The Buckeyes' Hilda Svensson recorded three assists in the win and extended her point streak to nine games; Svensson continues to lead all rookies in the NCAA with 41 points on the year.
No. 15 St. Cloud State 2 (SOW), No. 8 Minnesota Duluth 2 | BOX SCORE
- A late third-period comeback led to No. 15 St. Cloud State earning the shootout win against No. 8 Minnesota Duluth on the road as the two teams battled to a 2-2 draw.
- UMD's Rae Mayer gave the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead heading into the final frame scoring goals in the first and second periods; with less than five minutes to go in regulation Avery Farrell found brought St. Cloud State within one before Maélie Pion scored the equalizer at the 17:04 mark to send the game to overtime as the Huskies would eventually win the shootout.
- Emilia Kyrkkö collected 39 saves for St. Cloud State, while six different Huskies registered a point in the contest.
- Mayer now has 11 goals this season for the Bulldogs, while the two goals in the game marked a career-high for the rookie forward.
No. 1 Wisconsin 5, RV St. Thomas 1 | BOX SCORE | Wisconsin Recap | St. Thomas Recap
- The top-ranked Badgers defeated St. Thomas 5-1 in their series opener to improve to 14-1-2 in conference play.
- Emma Venusio scored just 46 seconds into the game to give the Badgers the early lead, followed by another Wisconsin goal from Finley McCarthy at the 6:36 mark of the first frame; Chloe Boreen brought the Tommies within one at the 9:32 mark of the second, but the Badgers would go on to score three third-period goals, leading to a 5-1 victory.
- Caroline Harvey tallied two assists, bringing her nation-best to 33 on the season, and she extended her point streak to 20 games; Lacey Eden recorded her 20th career multi-goal game, netting two in the third period.
- Julia Minotti recorded 40 saves despite the loss for St. Thomas; it marked Minotti's fifth 40 save-game of the season.
No. 3 Minnesota 5, Bemidji State 3 | BOX SCORE | Minnesota Recap
- After a 5-3 series opening victory against Bemidji State, No. 3 Minnesota extended its win streak to seven straight games and improved to 19-4-0 on the season.
- The Gophers scored two goals less than 30 seconds apart with five minutes to go in the first period before tallying three in the second period; down 5-0 through the first 40, Bemidji State rallied for three straight goals in the third before falling short in the game.
- Abbey Murphy recorded a goal in the win to move into third place on Minnesota's all-time points list with her 249th career point; Josefin Bouveng extended her point streak to 22 games.
-Hailey Armstrong and Isa Goettl led the way for the Beavers in the loss, each registering two points.
*Rankings based on USCHO Division I Women's Poll
Saturday, Jan 17
No. 2 Ohio State at No. 14 Minnesota State - 2 PM CT
No. 1 Wisconsin at RV St. Thomas - 3 PM CT
No. 3 Minnesota at Bemidji State - 3 PM CT
No. 15 St. Cloud State at No. 8 Minnesota Duluth - 3 PM CT
For more information on the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, follow the league on X and Instagram @WCHA_WHockey, and online at wcha.com.