Hello, hockey fans! Happy game day! It’s a big one for the Buckeye women as they reflect on what they achieved last season and look to prove they’re a force to be reckoned with in 2018-19 as well. Here’s what you need to know before the puck drops.

Last Week: Sweep at Quinnipiac

Ohio State earned a season-opening sweep at Quinnipiac. The Bucks’ scoring depth was on display in back-to-back 3-2 victories. Five different players recorded goals and twelve women (more than half the roster) factored in the points. OSU’s premier line of Emma Maltais, Charly Dahlquist, and Tatum Skaggs combined for seven points in the series.

Every Buckeye skater saw ice time. Four of the team’s six (non-goaltending) rookies - Sophie Jaques, Paetyn Levis, Gabby Rosenthal, and Eve Savander - registered their first collegiate points. Amanda Zeglen started both games in net and finished the weekend with a 2.00 GAA and .909 save percentage.

Bottom line: Although their game is still somewhat raw, the Bucks did a lot of good things last week and got the job done against the Bobcats. We saw nothing to indicate the team’s preseason expectations are overly ambitious.

​

This Week: vs. No. 8 Colgate

The Buckeyes open their home slate and raise their Frozen Four banner tonight. However, they cannot afford to spend much time reminiscing. No. 8 Colgate is in town.

Like the Buckeyes, the Raiders set a school record for wins last season (34). Their team featured an impressive eight 30+ point players. They also made a run at the NCAA title, going one game further than Ohio State and falling to Clarkson in overtime of the national championship game. It was the Raiders’ second straight runner-up finish as the team also fell just short of the crown in 2017.

Colgate lost several key contributors to graduation but returns four of its 30+ point scorers including the program’s third-leading all-time scorer, Jessie Eldridge (111 career points). Fellow seniors Shae Labbe and Bailey Larson are each eight points away from the century mark for their careers. Malia Schneider, who notched 16 goals as a freshman last season, is back. So is senior goaltender Julia Vandyk with her career 1.91 GAA and .924 save percentage.

The Raiders were picked to finish second in the ECAC behind defending national champ, Clarkson. It’s been a rocky start for them. They had to rally to defeat Penn State on opening night. Then they dropped the second half of the series to the Nittany Lions, 4-2.

But I wouldn’t read anything into that 1-1-0 record at this point of the season. Weird stuff tends to happen in the first couple weeks. The Raiders are a talented, experienced, and dangerous team. Colgate presents a much bigger challenge to the Buckeyes than Quinnipiac did. This series should give us a pretty good idea of how serious a contender Ohio State is going to be in 2018-19.

​

Want more interviews? See pre-series comments from Tatum Skaggs and Amanda Zeglen on Twitter.

Also, take note that the usual free parking will not be available for Saturday's women's hockey game due to the football team playing at home. 

What’s up in the WCHA

It was sweeps or bust in non-conference action last week. St. Cloud and Bemidji State were on the wrong end of the brooms against Connecticut and No. 1 Clarkson, respectively. The WCHA’s headline victory was a sweep of then-No. 4 Boston College by Minnesota-Duluth.

Minnesota State also picked up two wins over RPI. Minnesota swept Mercyhurst. Wisconsin had to rally twice on opening night but survived a scare from Lindenwood. And when the new polls came out, four of the top five teams in the country hailed from the WCHA; No. 2 Wisconsin, No. 3 Minnesota, No. 4 Duluth, and No. 5 Ohio State.

This week conference play begins with a titanic clash between the Gophers and Bulldogs. The Buckeyes and Raiders’ top-10 battle owns the non-conference spotlight but two other WCHA teams do face opponents that are receiving votes in the polls. The Beavers head to Providence and the Badgers welcome Mercyhurst. The Huskies also host RIT this week. The Mavericks have a bye.