Minnesota State at (1) Ohio State
Four of Ohio State’s six goals were scored by defenders as the Buckeyes took a 6-1 win over Minnesota State on Saturday. Hannah Bilka led OSU with three assists. Jenn Gardiner, Jenna Buglioni, Cayla Barnes, Lauren Bernard, Hadley Hartmetz and Stephanie Markowski each lit the lamp for Ohio State. Kianna Roeske was the goal-scorer for the Mavericks in the loss. The teams went back and forth during the first period on Sunday. Ohio State scored first on a tap-in by Olivia Mobley of a pass from Cayla Barnes. Mankato responded immediately on a goal from Whitney Tuttle to make it 1-1. Kiara Zanon gave the Buckeyes a 2-1 lead before the end of the frame as she cycled the puck around and put a shot from near the blue line through traffic. The teams skated to for nearly 40 minutes of scoreless hockey after that before OSU took advantage on the power play on a goal from Joy Dunne to put the game more out of reach and an empty-netter from Kelsey King to secure the 4-1 win and weekend sweep.
(3) Wisconsin at (2) Minnesota
The Border Battle opened with three straight penalties and four goals in the first period on Friday night. Abbey Murphy notched her 100th career point with the first goal of the night, but Wisconsin’s Maddie Wheeler responded just 46 seconds later to tie the game 1-1. The Badgers went ahead 2-1 with a power play goal from Kirsten Simms, but Murphy sniped her second of the game for a power play goal of her own to make it 2-2 at the first intermission. From there, the Gophers took control. Nelli Laitinen scored on a shot from distance that caught UW goalie Jane Gervais sleeping and then Sadie Lindsay swatted in a loose puck to make it 4-2 Minnesota. Solveig Neunzert scored from long distance in the third to put the Gophers up 5-2. Casey O’Brien clawed one back with about six to play, but even pulling the goalie, Wisconsin could not get another puck past Lucy Morgan, who finished the game with 33 saves. In the second game, Josefin Bouveng scored during a 3-on-1 to put Minnesota up 1-0. Midway through the game, Lacey Eden hopped off the bench on a quick change to catch the Gophers off balance and take off for a short-handed chance that she buried to tie the game 1-1 and start a Wisconsin rally. A few minutes later, Kelly Gorbatenko scored a diving goal on the power play where she used her long reach to wrap the puck behind Skylar Vetter to make it 2-1 Wisconsin. Eden scored her second of the game after a great effort by Cassie Hall to make it 3-1. In the third, Anna Wilgren laid across the Badger goal mouth to prevent Minnesota from scoring, Wisconsin took off in transition and Kirsten Simms pulled the puck across the slot to beat the defenders and make it 4-1. The Badgers put a cap on the win with a great give and go from Casey O’Brien and Britta Curl in the final two minutes to give Wisconsin a 5-1 win and weekend split.
(6) Minnesota Duluth at (8) St. Cloud State
Huskies goaltender Jojo Chobak stopped 25 of 27 shots against her former team on Friday, but St. Cloud was only able to light the lamp once and UMD took a 2-1 overtime win. After a scoreless first period, defender Nina Jobst-Smith threw the puck on net from beyond the blue line and lit the lamp to make it 1-0. Avery Farrell responded for St. Cloud in the third period to tie the game 1-1 and force overtime. The Bulldogs received a power play and Tova Henderson put the puck back on net from inside the left circle to win the game for UMD. In the second game, the Huskies showed some of the skill and determination that has allowed them to take points from both Ohio State and Minnesota over the past eight days. Five different Huskies scored for SCSU, starting with Klàrà Hymlàrovà in the first putting back a puck that squirted out into the crease. Alice Sauriol’s shot from the slot made it 2-0 late in the second. Farrell scored her second of the weekend on a beauty of a shorthanded breakaway where she deked and lifted the backhand into the net to make it 3-0. Reece Hunt’s power play goal cut the lead to 3-1 with just under five minutes to play. UMD pulled their goalie with 4:21 left and St. Cloud put the game away with two empty net goals, one each from Addi Scribner and Taylor Larson, to make it a 5-1 win and weekend sweep, as well as points from three of the four WCHA teams ranked above them nationally.
(13) Yale at (15) Penn State
Goals from Naomi Boucher and Anna Bargman had Yale up 2-0 at the midway point of the game. But Penn State was not out of it and started to fight back. Lyndie Lobdell scored on the power play to make it 2-1 heading into the final frame. Mya Vaslet stole the puck behind the Yale net and fed Alyssa Machado, who one-timed the puck into the net to tie the game 2-2. With under four to play, Tessa Janecke took a long distance shot on the power play and Julie Gough was in the perfect place to put back the rebound to give the Nittany Lions the lead and eventual come-from-behind win. On Saturday, Yale pushed back, outshooting Penn State 47-23. Carina DiAntonio took advantage of a rebound after a number of Bulldog shots to put Yale ahead 1-0. In the second, Elle Hartje redirected a shot from Emma DeCorby to make it 2-0. Brianna Brooks got one back for Penn State early in the third to make it 2-1, but the Nittany Lions could not find the equalizer and Jordan Ray’s empty-netter secured a 3-1 Yale win and weekend split.
