No. 1 Ohio State women's hockey ties No. 2 Minnesota in Game 2
FINAL: No. 1 Ohio State ties No. 2 Minnesota, takes extra point in shootout
After a wild third period, No. 1 Ohio State women’s hockey skated to a 4-4 tie with No. 2 Minnesota on Saturday.
The Buckeyes took the extra conference point in the shootout, thanks to junior forward Jenna Buglioni’s winner, fighting back from a loss in Friday’s Game 1.
Junior transfer forward Makenna Webster scored her first goal for OSU (8-1-1, 8-1-1 WCHA) and added two assists. Graduate defender Sophie Jaques had two goals, also scoring in the shootout. Senior goaltender Raygan Kirk made 27 saves.
Redshirt sophomore forward Abbey Murphy scored twice for the Golden Gophers (7-0-1, 7-0-1 WCHA), and fifth-year co-captain Taylor Heise and freshman forward Josefin Bouveng each scored as well. Sophomore goaltender Skylar Vetter made 27 saves.
Murphy opened the scoring 2:23 into the first period, cashing in on her own rebound after Kirk saved her initial shot from the right face-off dot, and Bouveng doubled the lead to 2-0 just 47 seconds later when she broke towards the slot from the right boards before firing a wrist shot high, short-side, from the right circle.
The Buckeyes kept pushing as Webster got them on the board with 4:56 left in the first. It was her second game this season as she has been a standout in field hockey for OSU, which is currently in-season. She suited up for the Buckeyes in a loss at Michigan on Friday night.
A transfer out of Wisconsin in the offseason, Webster won the national championship with the Badgers in 2021 when they beat Northeastern, earning Frozen Four most outstanding player honors.
Murphy extended the Gophers’ lead to 3-1 just 53 seconds into the third period on a breakaway. Minnesota turned defense into offense after Gracie Ostertag’s blocked shot as Grace Zumwinkle sent Murphy in on a breakaway, who beat Kirk with a move to the backhand.
Senior forward Jennifer Gardner cut it to 3-2 just after the halfway point of the period, cashing in from point-blank range after Webster’s partial break was broken up.
Ohio State continued the pressure, and Jaques tied it on the power play two minutes later with a wrist shot from the right circle off a feed from Webster.
Heise restored Minnesota’s lead with a shorthanded goal with 6:07 to go, winning a race for the puck into the OSU zone before pulling to her backhand and roofing a shot past Kirk.
Under a minute later, Jaques tied it again with a slap shot from the point on the advantage after her first shot wouldn’t go.
Minnesota took four of six possible points from the weekend series. They'll face No. 5 Minnesota Duluth next weekend.
Ohio State will travel to St. Paul, Minn., for a series with St. Thomas next Saturday and Sunday.
The win this weekend's series after Saturday's contest ends in a tie!
— Minnesota Women's Hockey (@GopherWHockey)
Ohio State takes extra point in shootout 🔥
Jenna Buglioni scored the winner in the sudden-death fourth round of the shootoutM for the Buckeyes to claim the extra conference point in today's tie with Minnesota.
The junior forward swung in from the left side of the zone, faked, then beat Vetter with a wrist shot. She had a game-tying goal disallowed in the third period.
Minnesota' Grace Zumwinkle and OSU's Sophie Jaques each scored in the shootout as well.
. nets the winning shot to give the Buckeyes the extra WCHA point!
— Ohio State Women's Hockey (@OhioStateWHKY)
END OT: We go to a shootout as the game goes down as a tie 👀
Overtime wasn't enough as Minnesota and Ohio State will need a shootout to decide the extra point in the WCHA standings.
The game will officially go down as a tie in records.
OSU survived a flurry of Minnesota chances when the Gophers were on the power play early in OT. Shots on goal are even at 31 apiece.
Overtime has concluded. The game will officially be a tie.
— Minnesota Women's Hockey (@GopherWHockey)
Shootout for the extra conference point coming up!
NO GOAL! 🙅♀️ Overtime rolls on | OT – 52.7 seconds
Ohio State nearly ended it with under a minute to go in the overtime during a scrum in front, but the goal was waved off before video review confirmed the call, presumably due to goaltender interference.
END 3rd: We need overtime after a WILD 3rd period 😮💨
Minnesota thought they had the game wrapped up after making it 3-1 less than a minute into the third, but not so fast.
Ohio State stormed back to tie it 3-3 before the Gophers retook the lead off Heise's shorthanded beauty, but Jaques' tied it up again moments later with her second equalizer of the period.
The Buckeyes are outshooting Minnesota, 29-24.
We're headed to overtime in Columbus.
— Minnesota Women's Hockey (@GopherWHockey)
Which means Minnesota will at minimum earn more WCHA points than OSU in this series!
GOAL! 🚨 OSU ties it AGAIN | 3RD – 5:34
Still on the power play, the Buckeyes find another equalizer, and it's Jaques again less than a minute after the Gophers' go-ahead goal.
OSU worked the puck around the offensive zone before Jaques' writster wouldn't go, but the Buckeyes fed her again as she uncorked a slap shot to beat Vetter.
P3| BUCKEYE GOAL! 🚨 ties it up AGAIN at 14:26!!
— Ohio State Women's Hockey (@OhioStateWHKY)
GOAL! 🚨 Heise puts Minnesota back up | 3rd – 6:07
1:06 after Ohio State tied it, Minnesota gets a shorthanded goal to retake the lead.
Reigning Patty Kazmaier Award winner Taylor Heise won a race for the puck into the OSU zone, switched to her backhand and roofed a shot over Kirk's blocker.
The Patty Kaz winner doing Patty Kaz things!
— Minnesota Women's Hockey (@GopherWHockey)
GOAL! 🚨 That one counts, 3-3 | 3rd – 7:13
Ohio State ties it up moments after the would-be equalizer was disallowed.
With one second left on the power play, Webster closed in on the slot, faked a shot and dished to Sophie Jaques, who fired a wrist shot past Vetter.
Webster has three points (1g, 2a) on the afternoon.
P3| BUCKEYE GOAL! 🚨🚨🚨 ties it up on the power play!
— Ohio State Women's Hockey (@OhioStateWHKY)
NO GOAL! 🫣 Ohio State nearly evens it up | 3rd – 8:04
Jenna Buglioni almost tied it up at 3-3 for Ohio State on the power play, but the goal was immediately waved off as she redirected the puck with a high stick.
It's the second straight weekend that the junior forward has had a goal disallowed due to a high stick. It would have been her second goal of the weekend and fourth in as many games.
GOAL! 🚨 Buckeyes cut the deficit to 3-2 | 3rd – 9:13
Senior forward Jennifer Gardner's fourth of the season has Ohio State back to within one of Minnesota.
Webster sprung into the Gophers' zone on a partial break before the play was broken up, but not before she drew a penalty. Gardner was hot in pursuit of the play and cashed in on the loose puck.
OSU will go to the power play.
P3| BUCKEYE GOAL! 🚨 cuts the Gopher lead to 1!
— Ohio State Women's Hockey (@OhioStateWHKY)
GOAL! 🚨 Minnesota adds insurance | 3rd – 19:07
Abbey Murphy picks up her second of the game just 53 seconds into the third period to make it 3-1 for the Gophers.
Minnesota turned defense into offense when Gracie Ostertag blocked a shot before Grace Zumwinkle picked up the loose puck and sent Murphy in on a breakaway. Murphy burst into the offensive zone with speed before pulling to her backhand and beating Kirk. ;
Murph Magic pt. 2
— Minnesota Women's Hockey (@GopherWHockey)
Her 8th of the year was NASTY
Third period is a go 3️⃣
The third period is underway at OSU Ice Rink.
No. 2 Minnesota is holding onto a 2-1 lead over No. 1 Ohio State, who is looking to avoid a weekend sweep.
P3| Let's go Bucks!
— Ohio State Women's Hockey (@OhioStateWHKY)
END 2nd: Gophers still lead after scoreless period 😮💨
The second period came and went as No. 2 Minnesota holds on to its 2-1 lead over No. 1 Ohio State.
The Buckeyes had big pushes in the period as they searched for the equalizer, but were unable to solve Skylar Vetter in the middle frame. Makenna Webster, the goal-scorer for OSU today, had a number of chances, even after playing for the Buckeyes' field hockey team at Michigan on Friday.
Ohio State outshot Minnesota 11-9 in the period, holding a 20-17 advantage for the game.
End of P2| Scoreless second period to keep it a 2-1 game. Ohio State still holding the edge in shots, 20-17
— Ohio State Women's Hockey (@OhioStateWHKY)
Second period is on 🏒
The puck is dropped for the second period between No. 2 Minnesota and No. 1 Ohio State.
The Gophers grabbed an early lead in the game with goals from Abbey Murphy and Josefin Bouzeng before Makenna Webster got the Buckeyes on the board later in the first.
We're back for period two! with 1:26 of power-play time remaining.
— Minnesota Women's Hockey (@GopherWHockey)