Women’s Hockey: No. 2 Ohio State hosts St. Cloud State in WCHA quarterfinals

Katy Popovitch
Fri, 25 Feb 2022 04:15:07 +0000
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Ohio State women’s hockey team huddles up before their game against Wisconsin Nov. 28, 2021. Ohio State lost 0-5. Photo Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor

No. 2 Ohio State will kick off its postseason against St. Cloud State in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association’s quarterfinals at the Ohio State Ice Rink.?

The series will take place Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 3 p.m. If the games are split, the Buckeyes and Huskies will play Sunday at 3 p.m.

The Buckeyes (25-6-0, 21-5-0) are undefeated against the Huskies (9-21-3, 4-20-3) in all three of their matchups this season. Head coach Nadine Muzerall said everyone starts fresh in the playoffs and it’s anybody’s opportunity to grab.

“It’s a whole new ballgame,” Muzerall said. “They are going to come and take their opportunity ’cause if they don’t get past this series, their season is over, and no one wants their season to be done. So, we have to play like it’s our last game.”

St. Cloud State graduate goaltender Emma Polusny was named to the First Team All-WCHA Thursday and had a 0.925 save percentage during the regular season. Ohio State senior forward Gabby Rosenthal said Polusny is a huge asset for the Huskies.

“Their goalie is a fantastic goaltender, probably one of the best in our league,” Rosenthal said. “She’s kept them in a lot of games.”

Ohio State senior defender Sophie Jaques was also named to the First Team All-WCHA, ending the regular season No. 1 in the nation with a plus-43 rating and third with 53 points. Minnesota senior forward Taylor Heise, who currently leads the nation in points, has seven more points than Jaques with three more games played.

Muzerall said Jaques’ rating proves good things happen when she is on the ice.

“It’s not just her points or her offensive presence on the power play,” Muzerall said. “When she’s on the ice, she doesn’t get scored on either. It’s been an incredible year for her.”

The last time the Buckeyes and the Huskies played each other Feb. 8, Ohio State graduate forward and captain Liz Schepers scored four goals, helping the Buckeyes secure their win.

Muzerall said Schepers can lead the team and knows the time left on her collegiate hockey career is ticking away.

“It’s her last hurrah,” Muzerall said. “She wants to enjoy every minute of it. She’s going to do whatever she’s going to do to make sure she lays it all on the line and does whatever she can to win.”

Unlike the regular season, fans must purchase a ticket to attend postseason games, which are $8 for adults and $5 for children and seniors. Fans can buy tickets through Ticketmaster or at the ticket office located at St. John Arena’s southeast corner.

The stands were at full capacity and some fans were turned away from Ohio State’s game against No. 4 Wisconsin Feb. 18. Rosenthal said the crowd during the series against the Badgers was amazing, and she hopes the Buckeyes will have a similar turnout for their playoff series.

“That was one of the first times since I’ve been here that we’ve actually turned people away,” Rosenthal said. “Hopefully we get that same turnout. It definitely helps us move forward and get hyped up and have a lot of energy.”

Rosenthal said the focus going into the series is being physical and tough on pucks for the entire 60 minutes of the game.

“When we play 60 full minutes of hockey, I don’t think anyone can really touch us,” Rosenthal said.

The series can be streamed on Big Ten Network Plus.