The women's hockey Buckeyes keep their historic season rolling. They're on to the NCAA semis after knocking off No. 4 Boston College in the quarterfinals. It is Ohio State's first-ever trip to the Frozen Four.
| Game Info | NCAA Semifinal |
|---|---|
| Location | Minneapolis, MN |
| Opening Faceoff | 5pm ET |
| Television | BTN |
| Online Video | BTN2Go ($) |
For two periods last week, the relentless aggression of OSU’s forwards disrupted BC’s vaunted offense. Most of the Eagle attacks that did develop were snuffed out by the Buckeye blueliners. Little rubber got through to Kassidy Sauve.
The third period brought a dramatic shift as Boston College pressed hard for the game-tying goal. BC outshot Ohio State 23-9 in the frame. But Sauve came up big for the Bucks. She stood on her head to preserve the shutout and OSU's season.
| Team Stats | Ohio State | Clarkson |
|---|---|---|
| NCAA Seed | No. 6 | No. 1 |
| Record | 24-10-4 | 34-4-1 |
| Avg. Goals For | 2.95 | 3.97 |
| Avg. Goals Against | 2.00 | 1.21 |
| Power Play | 16.4% | 25.4% |
| Penalty Kill | 87.2% | 90.3% |
| Points Leader | Emma Maltais (40) | Loren Gabel (74) |
| Goals Leader | Tatum Skaggs (23) | Loren Gabel (35) |
| Top Goaltender | Kassidy Sauve (1.92/.937) | Shea Tiley (1.25/.942) |
Which brings us to today’s semifinal matchup against Clarkson. The Buckeyes and Golden Knights tangle at 5pm ET on neutral ice at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis. (Although Nadine Muzerall is trying to make the ice a little less neutral by campaigning for unattached fans to back her Buckeyes.)
Clarkson could legitimately be described as the Beast of the East. The team combines high powered offense and phenomenal special teams with a miserly defense that held opponents to one goal or less in 72% of its games. It also boasts four All-Americans, First Teamers senior defender Savannah Harmon, senior goalie Shea Tiley, and junior forward Loren Gabel, as well as Second Team selection freshman forward Elizabeth Giguere.
The Knights also know what it takes to win. Fifteen of this season’s players were on the roster last year when Clarkson became the first non-WCHA team to win a national title. But as impressive as that resume is, it won’t trouble the battle-tested Bucks.
As Nadine Muzerall notes, her team has slain giants before. “Clarkson is a great team, they're well-coached and they're a very defensive team, but this isn't the first beast we've come across. We played some of the best teams in the country along the way that have helped prepare us for a team as good as Clarkson.”
Clarkson’s opponents didn’t establish much of an upset blueprint for Ohio State. The Knights have been on a tear since mid-November. They’re 23-1-0 with one random shutout loss to Princeton.
Still, I think the Buckeyes have a real shot at a victory. Don’t worry. I’m not going to hex them with a prediction. All I’m saying is that a full 60 minutes of the kind of aggressive, tenacious hockey Ohio State played in the first two periods against Boston College would beat any team in the nation.
And Clarkson looked a wee bit mortal in the NCAA quarterfinal. The Knights had some trouble getting past Mercyhurst. Nearly an entire overtime session passed before Giguere netted the game-winning goal in a 2-1 victory.
All-American Hero
Remember how Jincy Dunne was an honorable mention for the weekly conference awards, like, a zillion times? Remember how we said that eventually, she was going to have to win something based, if nothing else, on her incredible body of work? Well, it turns out that the “something” is a Second Team All-American selection.
The hard-working blue-liner is the seventh Buckeye All-American in program history. “I had been recruiting Jincy for a long time, even back at my old school. She was arguably the best player at her age going into college, so seeing her earn this recognition is no surprise,” head coach Nadine Muzerall said. “She’s a huge part of why we’re in the Frozen Four this weekend, and we hope to see her wearing the red, white, and blue for the United States in the next Olympics.”
