Three Western Collegiate Hockey Association squads earned victories in non-conference play in Saturday's action, with No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Minnesota recording series sweeps and Bemidji State defeating Merrimack in the series opener.
No. 3 Minnesota 14, Sacred Heart 2 | BOX SCORE | Minnesota Recap
- The third-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers stunned Sacred Heart with a 14-2 victory to set a program record for most goals scored in a game; the Gophers remained undefeated in non-conference play on the season and improved to 16-4-0 overall.
- Abbey Murphy recorded a career-high seven points off a hat trick and four assists while she tied the Minnesota single-game program record for most points; teammate Nelli Laitinen also recorded a hat trick in the win, marking the first of her career.
- Josefin Bouveng scored a goal and added three helpers for four points as she extended her point streak to 19 games.
No. 2 Ohio State 4, No. 4 Penn State 1 | BOX SCORE | Ohio State Recap
- The second-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes scored three power-play goals in the first period en route to a 4-1 victory and top-4 series sweep against No. 4 Penn State; the Buckeyes remained undefeated in non-conference action with the win.
- Kaia Malachino scored the game's first goal at the 12:50 mark of the first period on the power play; shortly after, Ohio State went on the power play again as Sloane Matthews scored to put the Buckeyes up 2-0; Penn State scored its first and only goal of the game with less than three minutes to go in the first but Ohio State again converted on the power play with a goal by Mira Jungåker; Jocelyn Amos netted the game's final goal in the the second period.
- Malachino scored her first goal as a Buckeye in the victory; Hailey MacLeod recorded 20 saves to get the win and improve to 11-2-0 on the year.
Bemidji State 3, Merrimack 1 | BOX SCORE | Bemidji State Recap
- Bemidji State opened up its non-conference series with Merrimack with a 3-1 victory as the Beavers recorded their fifth win of the season and improved to 3-1-1 in non-conference play.
- After a scoreless first period, Autumn Cooper scored her second goal of the season just over four minutes into the second frame for the first goal of the game, while teammate Morgan Smith followed up with a goal of her own at the 10:30 mark; Raeley Carney made it a 3-0 Beaver lead just 45 seconds into the final frame.
- Kaitlin Groess made 29 saves and recorded her fourth win of the season.
No. 8 Quinnipiac 3, No. 5 Minnesota Duluth 1 | BOX SCORE | Minnesota Duluth Recap
- The fifth-ranked Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs came up short to No. 8 Quinnipiac in the third-place game of the Friendship Series in Belfast, Northern Ireland, falling 3-1.
- Caitlin Kraemer scored a short-handed goal just under nine minutes into the first period for the Bulldogs' lone goal of the game; the Bobcats tied the game late in the first before tallying two in the third, including an empty net goal.
- Rookie goaltender Sophie Villanueva had 25 saves for the Bulldogs in just her third collegiate start.
*Rankings based on USCHO Division I Women's Poll
Saturday, Jan 3
Bemidji State at Merrimack - 6 PM CT
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