In a game that could be a preview of next week’s WCHA Quarterfinals, the woes continued for Minnesota State. Despite jumping out to a 2-1 lead at 8:05 of the first period against Ohio State, the Mavericks surrendered 36 shots on goal en route to their ninth consecutive loss.
Senior forward Jeni Creary’s hat trick led the Buckeyes (16-14-3, 12-14-1 WCHA) to a 5-3 victory over MSU (8-19-6, 7-17-3 WCHA) to the come-from-behind victory.
It was somewhat of a surprise that the Mavericks scored two goals in the game’s first eight minutes. The Mavericks skated into tonight’s contest with the lowest-scoring offense in the league at 1.47 goals per game, while OSU sophomore goaltender Erika Vanderveer was coming off being named WCHA Defensive Player of the Week.
Freshman center Amanda Stohr redirected a centering pass from senior right winger Melanie Salatino that trickled past Vanderveer at 4:52 of the first period. It marked the first MSU goal since a 7-2 defeat at Wisconsin on Feb. 6–a span of four games.
“It really lifted that weight off our backs,” Stohr said. “It was a momentum builder and a real confidence booster for this team. I really thought that would get us going.”
It would not be enough to snap the losing streak, however. Both teams traded goals and skated into the second period tied at two apiece. The Buckeyes proceeded to put 20 shots on goal to the Mavericks’ three, and came out of the period with a 4-3 lead.
“Right from the get-go, I felt personally that we weren’t taking care of the little things,” said OSU coach Jackie Barto. “We just gave them some opportunities that they took advantage of. But the thing is, we answered every time they scored. We didn’t take a step back; I think we stepped it up. We got better and better as the game went on.”
OSU took the lead for good at 19:00 of the period when Creary took a pass from junior forward Jana Harrigan and wristed a shot that MSU sophomore netminder Laura Brennan thought was in her glove.
“I don’t think [Harrigan] could have threaded the needle any better than that,” Creary said of her teammate. “Any time you can put some points on the board, it’s great.”
The Buckeyes outshot the Mavericks by a final total of 36-15. Vanderveer made seven saves in the first period, and only five in the final two periods combined. In contrast, Brennen made 31 saves. While OSU outshot the Mavericks, both teams managed to find large open patches of ice and get the puck deep into the zone, behind the defenders. The difference was the OSU defense, which played well in front of a shaky Vanderveer.
“I think that our offense showed up and our defense didn’t come to play,” Stohr said. “We had lapses that really hurt us.”
“Both teams didn’t adjust their defense as well as they could,” MSU coach Jeff Vizenor said. “The defense was not where it needed to be.”
Creary was awarded a rare penalty shot during the second period when MSU was whistled for a hand pass while the puck was in the crease. Creary took the shot but was stopped cold by Brennan, who made a glove-side save.
“I should’ve shot it,” Creary said of the penalty shot. “I knew the whole way down that I should’ve shot it, but I deked instead.”
The Mavericks’ last chance to cut the two-goal deficit came when they had a power play opportunity at 10:21 of the third period. But the Buckeye defense held its ground, and effectively shut the door on MSU.
“We were talking a lot on the ice,” Creary said. “We could see where we wanted to go and needed to go. We picked them apart pretty much, I think.”
The Buckeyes have a history of defeating the Mavericks. In 24 matchups between them OSU is 21-1-2 overall. In her four-year career, Creary now has 15 goals against the Mavericks.
MSU is now faced with the task of figuring out how to earn more shots on goal before the puck drops at 4:05 on Saturday. Both teams know they need as many points as possible to help their cause in the WCHA tournament.
“I think a lot of us were thinking offense,” Stohr said. “We got caught playing too much offense and we didn’t play the other side of it. We need points big time to help us in the standings.”
