![\"Ohio](\"https:\/\/www.uscho.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/photo11-1024x768.jpg\")
UMD\u2019s Katie Davis picked a great time to net her first career goal to tie the game up. She broke out from the neutral zone and out-skated her defender to get in alone on Ohio State goalie Andrea Braendli. Davis picked her spot and popped the water bottle to tie the game at one.<\/p>\n
But the Buckeyes broke the game open in the second. Jennifer Gardiner potted a power play goal just 2:20 into the period. A minute later, Gabby Rosenthal extended the lead to 3-0. Tatum Skaggs joined in less than three minutes later and finally, Maltais scored her second of the game just 5:27 after Gardiner. That short, mad flurry made it a 5-1 game in favor of Ohio State and they would not relinquish that lead.<\/p>\n
It was a relentless assault from the Buckeyes, who UMD coach Maura Crowell described as coming in on her team in waves. The normally stout Minnesota Duluth defense was no match for the growing confidence and momentum of OSU.<\/p>\n
Beyond that short stretch, it was a relatively close game. The Bulldogs settled back down and found their rhythm again. Clara Van Wieren lit the lamp midway through the second to make it 5-2, but Liz Schepers scored from an impossible-seeming angle to make it a four-goal lead again and that seemed to deflate anything UMD could get going. Skaggs added her second of the game late in the third on a power play to make it a 7-2 final score.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a solid 200 foot hockey game,\u201d said Muzzerall.<\/p>\n
The Buckeyes, who have struggled to score at times this season, received contributions from five different goal scorers. Maltais led the team with two goals and two assists.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019re going into the playoffs, you can\u2019t have just one goal scorer. You have to fire on all cylinders,\u201d said Muzzerall. \u201cWe don\u2019t have a big gap in talent between the first and third line. We have a lot of balance.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the loss, Minnesota Duluth\u2019s hopes for an NCAA bid took a hit. They sit on the bubble with teams like Boston College, Penn State and Providence. One thing that may work against the Bulldogs is that there has never been a post-season with four WCHA teams. Should Wisconsin, Ohio State, Minnesota and UMD all receive bids, it would mean three of the four at-large choices were from a single conference.<\/p>\n
With a number of teams sitting out this season – including more than half the ECAC, Crowell thinks it would be wrong to get hung up on where teams play. Instead, she\u2019d like the selection committee to use the unusual circumstances of the year to ensure that the best teams in the country are playing for a title.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s less about what league you\u2019re in and more about who\u2019s the best. I hope the committee will stick to that,\u201d said Crowell.<\/p>\n
Even after tonight\u2019s loss, Muzzerall is also in favor of Minnesota Duluth making the NCAA tournament.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have (teams ranked) 2,3,4,5 (in this conference). I don\u2019t think Duluth should be faulted for losing to the no. 3 team in the country. I don\u2019t think Minnesota, at no. 4, (should be faulted for) losing to no. 2. Especially seeing the upsets out East and in the CHA, I strongly do support four teams from the WCHA,\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n
Crowell thinks her team\u2019s body of work speaks for itself, with marquee wins over Ohio State and Wisconsin.<\/p>\n
The NCAA Selection Show will air on NCAA.com on Sunday at 8 pm central time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Emma Maltais had two goals and two assists to lead Ohio State back to the WCHA Tournament Championship game. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":102,"featured_media":126776,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[949],"tags":[819],"coauthors":[823],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n