It was a rollercoaster of a game but the No. 8 women's hockey Buckeyes got their statement making sweep. They started well, then got bogged down in the middle. But determined defense and a strong finish helped the Scarlet and Gray bank another victory over No. 9 Robert Morris.
| Scoring by Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 9 Robert Morris | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| No. 8 Ohio State | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
Ohio State dominated early. The Buckeyes ran up a three goal lead before the first period hit the halfway point. Charly Dahlquist kicked off the scoring at the 5:59 mark with assists from Tatum Skaggs and Emma Maltais. Less than minute later the Bucks’ red hot top line struck again. Dahlquist beat RMU goaltender Lauren Bailey for the second time in less than a minute.
| Buckeye Goal Scorers (Assists) | Pd | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Charly Dahlquist (Tatum Skaggs) | 1 | 5:59 |
| Charly Dahlquist (Tatum Skaggs, Emma Maltais) | 1 | 6:52 |
| PP - Rebecca Freiburger (Charly Dahlquist, Lauren Boyle) | 1 | 9:04 |
| Emma Maltais (Lauren Boyle) | 3 | 8:43 |
| PP - Jincy Dunne (Emma Maltais, Dani Sadek) | 3 | 9:30 |
Rebecca Freiburger gave Ohio State a 3-0 with a power play goal nine minutes in. But the Buckeyes’ lead would not remain comfortable. The tide turned against the Scarlet and Gray on their next power play. Not only did they not convert, Robert Morris netted a shorthanded goal. The team headed to the first intermission separated by a 3-1 score.
Bobby Mo threatened to completely erase the Bucks' advantage in the second period. Ohio State was mired in penalty trouble for much of the frame. The Bucks were shorthanded for the stanza's first seven minutes.
Kassidy Sauve and the penalty killers stood tall and kept the net clear. However, the Buckeyes were set back on their heels and never really recovered in the period. The Colonials poured 19 shots on net. Sauve stopped 18 of them. Only an even strength tally by Jessica Gazzola got by the stalwart goaltender.
Robert Morris continued to press the point in the third period, looking for the equalizer. Sauve continued to stonewall the visitors. Midway through the frame the Buckeyes gave her some breathing room.
Another set of back-to-back goals stretched the OSU lead to 5-2. Maltais tallied first, netting her ninth of the season. Then Jincy Dunne cashed in on a power play and regained the team’s three goal advantage. The 5-2 score would hold up as the Buckeyes posted the win and a series sweep of the Colonials.
The Bucks head back to conference play next week but keep the top 10 theme going. No. 5 Minnesota visits Columbus in a battle of WCHA leaders. Ohio State will try to repeat its early season results. The Buckeyes took five out of six points from the Gophers back in October. Next week's games are currently scheduled for 6pm ET on Friday and 3pm ET on Saturday.
- Robert Morris outshot Ohio State 46-21 in today's contest. Tatum Skaggs led the Buckeyes individually with five shots.
- Kassisy Sauve stopped 78 of 80 shots in this week's series.
- The Colonials' first goal today snapped a shutout streak of 132+ minutes for Sauve, a streak which included all of Game 1.
- The Bucks went 2-for-6 on the power play while the penalty kill held RMU scoreless in five opportunities.
