Nadine Muzerall wasn’t happy with her team’s effort yesterday, in spite of the overtime win. She has to be pretty pleased today. The Buckeyes left no doubt about who would be the victor of their series finale against the Lakers. Ohio State steamrolled Mercyhurst, 9-2.
| Scoring by Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercyhurst | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| No. 7/8 Ohio State | 2 | 2 | 5 | 9 |
Leading goal scorer, Tatum Skaggs, started the party late in the first period. Her twelfth goal of the season came with 1:05 to play in the frame. Paetyn Levis added a tally 33 seconds later. It was her first collegiate goal. The Bucks went into the first intermission with a two-goal lead.
| Buckeye Goal Scorers (Assists) | Pd | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Tatum Skaggs (Sophie Jaques, Madison Bizal) | 1 | 18:55 |
| Paetyn Levis (Jincy Dunne, Charly Dahlquist) | 1 | 19:28 |
| Emma Maltais (Jincy Dunne) | 2 | 2:35 |
| SH - Jacyn Reeves (Madison Bizal) | 2 | 13:04 |
| Charly Dahlquist (Lisa Bruno, Tatum Skaggs) | 3 | 6:22 |
| Charly Dahlquist (unassisted) | 3 | 6:53 |
| Liz Schepers (Erin Langermeier) | 3 | 7:46 |
| EA -Charly Dahlquist (Sophie Jaques, Tatum Skaggs) | 3 | 9:55 |
| Liz Schepers (Olivia Soares, Elise Riemenschneider) | 3 | 19:38 |
That lead swelled to three goals early in the middle frame. Emma Maltais potted her second goal of the series. A Mercyhurst goal broke up Andrea Braendli’s shutout bid and briefly cut into OSU’s advantage. But a swift, shorthanded strike by Jacyn Reeves restored the three-goal edge.
The scoring floodgates opened in the third period. The teams combined for five goals in a 3:33 span. Four of those goals belonged to the Buckeyes. Three of them came off the stick of Charly Dahlquist. The hat trick was the first of the senior’s collegiate career.
Liz Schepers rang up the other goal in the Buckeye blitzkrieg. Schepers also scored the Bucks’ ninth and final goal. Nine goals is a season high for OSU. It is also the most goals scored in a single game by the program since Taylor Kuehl and Hokey Langan helped hang 10 on Bemidji State on Oct. 27, 2012.
Ohio State hits the midseason break with a 14-6-0 record overall. The Bucks are third in the WCHA with a 8-4-0-0 conference record. They are next in action Jan. 5-6 in an exhibition matchup against the Minnesota Whitecaps.
- The Buckeyes outshot Mercyhurst 40-25. Dahlquist led the Scarlet and Gray with 10 shots.
- OSU was 0-for-1 on the power play but 3-for-3 on the penalty kill with one shorty.
- Speaking of shorthanded, the Bucks were down a couple players. They iced 16 skaters plus Braendli.
