The lady Bucks made some good adjustments after last night's loss. They had better puck control and were much more disciplined. Unfortunately they still came up short against No. 5/6 Bemidji State.
The Buckeyes had plenty of jump off the opening faceoff. They controlled the early action, outshooting Bemidji 7-1 in the initial seven minutes of the contest and 12-5 for the period. Though the Bucks enjoyed a great quantity of shots they had trouble generating quality chances. Like last night the Beavers did an excellent job of blocking shots, clogging passing lanes, and tying up Ohio State sticks near the net.
| boxscore | 1 | 2 | 3 | final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 5/6 Bemidji State | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Ohio State | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
The Beavers’ offense was slow to engage but it got on the board first. Five minutes into the second period a Bemidji cycle pulled the OSU defense to one side of the ice. BSU’s Lauren Miller patrolled the open space. Alexis Joyce passed her the puck and Bemidji led 1-0.
Undaunted the Buckeyes kept chipping away at the Beaver defense. Their dogged determination paid off. Good hustle by Julia McKinnon led to an offensive zone faceoff for OSU. Kendall Curtis won the draw and then found a patch of open ice. Julianna Iafallo went to battle behind the net. She fed Curtis who buried her fifth goal of the season.
Bemidji regained the upper hand midway through the third period. A power play goal by Emma Terres put BSU ahead 2-1. With the lead and time winding down the Beavers showed why they’re one of the highest ranked defenses in the nation. The Bucks put the extra attacker on late but couldn’t generate a game tying tally. Kaitlyn Tougas chipped in an empty netter for Bemidji, making the final score 3-1.
| pd | time | buckeye goal scorer (assist) |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 16:03 | Kendall Curtis (Julianna Iafallo) |
Ohio State outshot the Beavers 33-25 in total. Sophomore Alex LaMere made 22 saves in her third consecutive start for the Buckeyes. BSU won the special teams battle. Bemidji was 1-for-1 on the power play and successfully killed off both OSU advantages.
Losing stinks. However the Buckeyes played two pretty good games this week against a very good opponent. And they did so with a lot of their talent on the injured list. Better days are coming for the lady Bucks.
Ohio State is on the road for the next three weeks. A trip to No. 6/5 North Dakota comes first. Then the Buckeyes skate a series at St. Cloud before traveling east for the Windjammer Classic tournament.
