The men’s hockey Bucks are on hiatus until after the holiday break but fear not, hockey fans! Ohio State’s women provide plenty of excitement this week. They host top-ranked Wisconsin in their final series of the first half. And if you’re simply starved for Big Ten hockey you can always catch one of its three televised games this week. Let’s take a closer look at the on-ice action.
OSU Women vs. No. 1 Wisconsin
The Buckeyes are currently playing some of their best hockey of the year. They are 5-2-1 in their last eight games. Their most recent results are among their most impressive.
Last week Ohio State tied and defeated No. 9 North Dakota. The 1-0-1 series boosted the Bucks up two spots, into a tie for fifth place in the WCHA. It also earned standout sophomore goalie Kassidy Sauve the conference’s Defensive Player of the Week award.
| game info | friday | saturday |
|---|---|---|
| Opening Faceoff | 6pm ET | 3pm ET |
| Online Video | Buckeye Vision ($) | Buckeye Vision ($) |
There are not many goaltenders in college hockey with numbers as good as Sauve’s but Ohio State will face one of them this week in Wisconsin’s Ann-Renee Desbiens. The Badgers’ senior netminder is the NCAA’s all-time shutout leader with 44 goose eggs. She has not allowed more than two goals in any game this season. In fact she has surrendered three or more goals only 11 times in her 101 career appearances.
| team stats | Wisconsin | Ohio State |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Record | 15-2-1 | 8-8-2 |
| National Polls | No. 1 | Receiving Votes |
| Avg. Goals For / Against | 3.67 / 1.11 | 1.83 / 1.83 |
| Power Play / Penalty Kill | 11.9 % / 88.1% | 7.8% / 90.7% |
| Points Leader | Sarah Nurse (15-8--23) | Maddy Field (6-6--12) |
| Top Goaltender | Ann-Renee Desbiens (0.85/.952) | Kassidy Sauve (1.73/.952) |
Wisconsin rolls into Columbus fresh off an 8-2 shellacking of No. 2 Minnesota. The Gophers earned a 2-0 shutout over their arch-rivals in the series opener. It was the first time this season the Badgers have been blanked. They responded with the aforementioned curbstomping.
No. 2 Minnesota and No. 3 Minnesota-Duluth are the only teams that have managed to defeat Wisconsin this season. No other team has survived the Badgers…except for Ohio State. The Buckeyes skated to a 1-1 tie with UW back in October.
Julianna Iafallo netted a goal midway through the contest. Sauve turned aside 37 shots. Her teammates blocked another 26 pucks. Only a late game Badger power play goal prevented OSU from claiming an outright victory.
| rank | wcha standings | w | l | t | sow | pts | this week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 2 | Minnesota | 12 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 40 | at Boston U. (nc) |
| No. 1 | Wisconsin | 11 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 35 | at Ohio State |
| No. 3 | Minnesota-Duluth | 9 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 30 | at Minnesota St. |
| No. 10 | North Dakota | 5 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 21 | vs St. Cloud |
| RV | Ohio State | 4 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 14 | vs Wisconsin |
| St. Cloud State | 4 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 14 | at North Dakota | |
| Bemidji State | 4 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 13 | at RIT (nc) | |
| Minnesota State | 2 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 7 | vs Minn.-Duluth |
Perhaps that goal left a bad taste in the Buckeyes’ mouths. Since then the Bucks have played 14 games. They have held their opponents’ power play scoreless in 13 of those outings.
This is the final series for both teams before the midseason break. There is no reason not to empty the tanks so I expect these will be hard fought contests. I also expect the Buckeyes to be in contention in the late stages of at least one of these games.
Tonight’s tilt gets underway in a couple of hours. It’s a “white-out” night. If you’re attending the game dress accordingly and/or arrive early to snag one of the 100 free t-shirts being distributed to fans. Be sure to stick around after Saturday’s game for the first postgame skate of the year. If you don’t have your own skates you can rent some from the Ice Rink for $3.
Around the Big Ten
Michigan State sallies into the Big Ten fray for the first time this season. The Spartans are 3-0-1 in their last four games, including a tie and win over No. 5 North Dakota. They host No. 11 Minnesota. The Gophers are looking to bounce back after suffering an 8-3 beatdown by No. 10 Ohio State in last week’s series finale.
| rank | big ten standings | w | l | t | sow | pts | this week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 3/4 | Penn State | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | Bye |
| No. 10 | Ohio State | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | Bye |
| No. 11 | Minnesota | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | at Michigan St. |
| Michigan State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | vs. Minnesota | |
| RV | Wisconsin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | at Michigan |
| Michigan | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | vs Wisconsin |
Wisconsin and Michigan square off in the conference’s other match-up. The Wolverines opened B1G play last week on the losing end of a 6-1, 5-1 sweep by No. 3/4 Penn State. Like MSU, the Badgers are making their conference debut. They were last in action in a tie and loss to Nebraska-Omaha.
Three of this week’s four Big Ten games will be televised. With the Buckeyes on break it’s a good chance to check out the conference competition. BTN has both halves of the Michigan State-Minnesota series. Tonight’s game begins at 6:30 p.m. Saturday’s is scheduled for an 8pm start. Wisconsin-Michigan airs live on ESPNews tonight at 7:30 p.m.
