Women’s Hockey: No. 1 Buckeyes fall to No. 2 Minnesota in WCHA Final Faceoff Championship 3-1

Steven Kishpaugh
Sat, 04 Mar 2023 23:15:04 +0000
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The No. 1 seed Ohio State women’s hockey team fell to No. 2 seed Minnesota in the WCHA Final Faceoff Saturday in Minneapolis. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor

The No. 1 seeded Ohio State women’s hockey team’s quest for a second-consecutive Western Collegiate Hockey Association Final Faceoff Championship came up short Saturday in Minneapolis, after falling to No. 2 seed Minnesota 3-1.

Special teams proved to be the difference maker, as the Golden Gophers (29-5-3, 23-3-3 WCHA) went 2-for-2 on the power play and peppered junior goaltender Amanda Thiele with 39 shots.

Sophomore forward Peyton Hemp scored the game-sealing goal at 17:04 in the second period and recorded an assist, while sophomore goaltender Skylar Vetter earned first star after saving 34 of 35 shots she faced.

Meanwhile the Buckeyes (31-5-2, 23-5-1 WCHA) found themselves in a deficit they could not overcome, as Minnesota never relinquished the lead after drawing first blood in the first period. Graduate forward Gabby Rosenthal scored Ohio State’s lone goal off an assist from junior forward Makenna Webster.

The Buckeyes came out of the opening faceoff hot, shooting four times at net in the opening minute but all were saved by Vetter. Ohio State held control over the first 10 minutes of play, but could not break through and strike first.

Instead, at 14:55 in the first period, fifth-year forward Savannah Norcross found the back of the net off assists from Hemp and fifth-year defenseman Lizi Norton to give the Gophers a 1-0 advantage. The play was challenged by Buckeyes head coach Nadine Muzerall, but the officials upheld the call and the Gophers held onto the lead for the remaining five minutes and entered first intermission with a 1-0 lead.

The second period was dictated by Minnesota, with the Gophers outshooting the Buckeyes 19-9, largely due to senior forward Jennifer Gardiner drawing a five-minute major penalty for contact to the head. The Gophers shot 10 times during the penalty but could not find the back of the net.

At 6:51 in the second, Rosenthal was assessed a two-minute minor penalty for interference, which proved costly for Ohio State. Redshirt sophomore forward Abbey Murphy put a shot past Thiele at the 7:22 mark to give Minnesota a 2-0 lead.

Despite the deficit, the Buckeyes remained competitive. Rosenthal made? up for her penalty by scoring at the 16:02 mark of the second period on a short-handed goal, with Webster picking up the assist off her own blocked shot to make the score 2-1.

But as momentum seemed to shift back in Ohio State’s favor, the Gophers got the goal back at the 17:04 mark of the second period, thanks to a power play goal from Hemp to put the game at 3-1 going into the second intermission.

In the third period, the Gophers put a wall in front of the net and played lockdown defense, preventing Ohio State from putting the result in doubt. Despite outshooting the Gophers 13-7 in the third, the Buckeyes did not find another goal and fell 3-1 in their quest for a second-straight WCHA Final Faceoff Championship.

The Gophers outshot the Buckeyes 39-35, blocked more shots at 28-16 and won the faceoff battle 33-31. Vetter, Hemp and Murphy were named the first, second and third stars, respectively.

Ohio State now awaits an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament to defend its national championship, which it earned for the first time in program history last season. The 11-team bracket will be announced Sunday at noon on ESPNews.