Ohio State Falls to No. 2 Minnesota, 4-1

Three early goals give Buckeyes conference loss

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Unable to close the gap after three quick Minnesota goals in the first stanza, the Ohio State women’s hockey team fell, 4-1, to the No. 2 Golden Gophers at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis, Minn.

 

With the WCHA loss, Ohio State falls to 9-6-2 overall and 6-6-1-1 in league play, while Minnesota improves to 16-3-0 overall and 10-3-0 in the conference.

 

After a slashing call sent junior Hokey Langan to the box at 3:16 in the first period, Minnesota capitalized on the power play opportunity with a goal at the 5:14 mark. Freshman Rachel Ramsey scored for the Golden Gophers, with senior Anne Schleper getting the assist. Seconds later at 5:40, freshman Rachael Bona found the net with the help of fellow freshman Meghan Lorence to give Minnesota a quick 2-0 advantage.

 

Still generating offensively, redshirt senior Emily West was the next Gopher to score at 6:54. The assists were accredited to redshirt senior Jen Schoullis and sophomore Amanda Kessel.

 

Sending the Buckeyes to the lockerroom with a three goal deficit, Minnesota continued its attack on the net into the second stanza with a goal by Kessel from junior Megan Bozek at 3:12

 

Ohio State found an answer at 6:15 when freshman forward Danielle Gagne scored unassisted to avoid a shutout. Despite outshooting Minnesota 13-11 in the second period, Ohio State was unable to capitalize.

 

The third period remained scoreless for both squads, with Minnesota taking the advantage on shots, 10-8. Defensive play guided Ohio State through the final stanza, as the Buckeyes killed off three Minnesota power plays, including a 5 on 3 opportunity.

 

Between the pipes, Buckeye sophomore Lisa Steffes made 28 saves to junior Noora Raty’s 27. In the face-off circle, Ohio State trailed Minnesota, 29-19.