Ohio State Buckeyes 2021-2022 ... Destination: Happy Valley

[Timothy A]

Similar to QU. Last game was nov 27 and next game is vs your Badgers. Jan 1 I think.

Then it's a fair fight I guess other than Q has along bus ride to Madison.

[Lindsay]

https://www.dispatch.com/story/sport...am/9088767002/

Columbus Dispatch article on the Buckeyes.

[D2D]

https://www.dispatch.com/story/sport...am/9088767002/

Columbus Dispatch article on the Buckeyes.

Have to give her credit, she's done a helluva job, especially when you take into account the crappy facilities they play and practice in.

[Lindsay]

Have to give her credit, she's done a helluva job, especially when you take into account the crappy facilities they play and practice in.

Yea. Great job by her.....let’s see how far they can take it. Wisco is excellent but vulnerable as has been demonstrated numerous weekends now.

Immediate questions for Hockey generally is can we get the games in thru Covid, and for OSU how will they perform when Braendli is away for Olympics.

[Lindsay]

https://www.nhl.com/bluejackets/news...on/c-329529492

osu women’s hockey and the Blue Jackets are partnering to do some Hockey For Her
stuff. Sounds like this is geared towards grownups. So thrilled to see this and I hope lots of CBUS fans partake. Seems to be some awakening in Columbus about the existence and excellence of their local college team.

[Timothy A]

Have to give her credit, she's done a helluva job, especially when you take into account the crappy facilities they play and practice in.

She's probably done the 2nd most impressive program turnaround in the history of women's hockey.

[D2D]

She's probably done the 2nd most impressive program turnaround in the history of women's hockey.

Ha Ha, Wink Wink.

[KTDC]

Yea. Great job by her.....let’s see how far they can take it. Wisco is excellent but vulnerable as has been demonstrated numerous weekends now.

Immediate questions for Hockey generally is can we get the games in thru Covid, and for OSU how will they perform when Braendli is away for Olympics.

Has anyone specifically mentioned…she was with the Gophers 5 years, and the Gophers won 4 national championships in those years.

An assistant coach doesn’t get to claim credit, but Brad Frost and Joel Johnson are welcome by me to put their tail between their legs. I have hopes the Natalie Darwitz effect will kick in for the Gophers by the end of this year…lol

[osualum86]

How will they perform when Braendli is away for Olympics.

Us Buckeye fans would love to have Andrea in there, but we have three solid goaltenders to fill in for her with Raygan Kirk (RMU transfer), Amanda Thiele, and Quinn Kuntz. All three have looked great when called on.

[osualum86]

There was a game played earlier tonight and the Buckeyes opened 2022 with a bang, defeating Lindenwood by a final score of 8-2. Ohio State scored the game's first six goals and never looked back. Madison Bizal opened the scoring for the Buckeyes in the first period with her first goal of the 2021-22 season to make it 1-0. Later in the period, Jennifer Gardiner added a goal and Ohio State went into the first intermission with a 2-0 lead. The Buckeyes added three more goals in the second period from Paetyn Levis, Jenna Buglioni, and Hadley Hartmetz, and went into the second intermission with a 5-0 lead. Ohio State came out for the final frame and got a goal from Sophie Jaques to take a 6-0 lead. Lindenwood fought back and got a goal of their own from Morgan Neitzke to make the score 6-1. Sophie Jaques got her second goal of the game to make it 7-1. The Lions answered on a goal from Casey Adimey to make the score 7-2. Liz Schepers closed out the scoring for the Buckeyes and the final score was 8-2. Ohio State outshot Lindenwood 51-24. Buckeye backstop Andrea Braendli stopped 22 of the 24 shots she faced to get the win. Lindenwood netminder Julia Maquire earned 43 saves on the 51 shots she faced. The teams are back at it tomorrow with game time being 3:00 pm EST.

[Steamboat]

Has anyone specifically mentioned…she was with the Gophers 5 years, and the Gophers won 4 national championships in those years.

An assistant coach doesn’t get to claim credit, but Brad Frost and Joel Johnson are welcome by me to put their tail between their legs. I have hopes the Natalie Darwitz effect will kick in for the Gophers by the end of this year…lol

I had noted that at the start of the season, when Joel and Bethany left the Gophers for St. Thomas. One of the things I had always noticed during the Gopher heyday was that at critical times of a game, it was Nadine, not Brad, who was giving the team the briefing on what needed to get accomplished on the ice. It does speak highly of Brad Frost that his assistants are now leading other teams.

[pgb-ohio]

Final Score From Friday, January 7th
Ohio State 8
Lindenwood 2

Temperatures Cool Off; Buckeye Offense Stays Hot

The weather turned a little colder in Central Ohio this week, with air temperatures touching the single digits. A bit chilly. But nothing out of the ordinary for January. Good Hockey weather. Or, as a key OSU staff member put it, "the way things should be."

The Buckeye players apparently agreed, scoring early & often. Once again, the scoring was very balanced; 7 different Buckeyes scored the 8 Buckeye goals. As noted last Fall, Buckeye Depth will be an underlying theme all season long. It can make star gazing challenging. Still, on this night, I realized that the team is Tough Up The Middle. Don't worry, I won't be forgetting the underlying depth. But this is an occasion to honor the Buckeye Centers.

Three Stars Of The Game: Decidedly Unofficial & Just For Fun

Lindenwood Honorable Mention: (tie) Morgan Neitzke and Casey Adimey
There were a couple of "breakthrough infections." Too soon? If so, sorry. But the Lions never lost their determination, and did indeed breakthrough for 2 goals, scored by Morgan & Casey. We also need to mention that Sierra Burt had the primary assist on both tallies.


Ohio State Honorable Mention: (tie) Sophie Jaques and Madison Bizal
We can't ignore the offensive contributions of the Ohio State 'D' Corps. Madison opened the scoring with a shot from up high just 2:05 into the game. On Sophie's behalf, I'll note that she was the only Buckeye to score two goals. One of those goals was a double give-and-go with Liz Schepers that was an absolutely beautiful thing to behold.

Jaques led all players with a +5. Bizal led everyone else at +4. All while keeping the Lions mostly at bay. Yeah, as I type this it occurs to me that maybe Madison & Sophie should be higher on the list. But I'm sticking with my story line!



#3 Star; 3rd Line Center: Sara Saekkinen, Ohio State
Didn't see any cars being jump-started in the Ice Rink Parking Lot. The truth is that the temperature was cool; not all that cold. But Sara jump-started the Buckeye offense, feeding Bizal on the above mentioned opening goal.

Although that was her only scoring point, Saekkinen was fore-checking hard & instigating offense all night long. Like the other centers, Sara had a fine night in the face-off circle, with a Win Rate of 57%.



#2 Star; 2nd Line Center: Clair DeGeorge, Ohio State
The Buckeyes owned the time of possession stat. That often starts by winning more than your share of the draws. Claire's Win Rate was 61%.

Like Sara, Clair had just one scoring point. It was the primary assist on the game's final tally. A dynamic cross-slot pass gave Liz Schepers an easy tap-in.

Beyond stats, DeGeorge has become more & more of a dominating presence on the ice, with each new game. Just as we hoped. Just as we knew would happen.


#1 Star; 1st Line Center: Gabby Rosenthal, Ohio State
OK, you probably see where this is going. In the face-off circle, Gabby was the greatest of them all. Prevailing on 20 of 29 opportunities, Rosenthal had a sizzling Win Rate of 69%.

The one assist sub-theme also continues. Gabby's came on the second goal of the game. She started a fine passing play by corralling possession along the boards, and finding Jenna Buglioni down below the end line. Jenna centered the puck to Jenn Gardiner, who calmly finished. Thus each member of the top line garnered a scoring point.

It was an important goal. Although the Buckeyes were out-shooting the Lions substantially at that point, a 1-0 lead is hardly secure. Going up 2-0 before the 1st intermission was well worth doing.


Up Next: Buckeyes/Lions Rematch. Standard Start Time @ 3:01PM Saturday.

[osualum86]

The Buckeyes completed the sweep earlier today by a final score of 10-0. Ohio State opened the scoring with goals from Gabby Rosenthal, Paetyn Levis, Brooke Bink, and Liz Schepers to take a 4-0 lead into the first intermission. In the second period, the Buckeyes got goals from Brooke Bink, Ramsey Parent, and Sophie Jaques to take a 7-0 lead into the second intermission. Ohio State would add three more goals in the third from Lauren Bernard, Paetyn Levis, and Brooke Bink (hat trick!) to make the final score 10-0. Ohio State outshot the Lions 59-12. Buckeye netminder Amanda Thiele stopped all 12 shots she faced to get the shutout. Lion netminders Natalie Ferenc and Emily Finach combined to stop 49 of the 59 shots they faced. The Buckeyes are on the road next weekend at St. Cloud. The Lions will travel to Erie, PA to take on Mercyhurst.

[pgb-ohio]

Final Score From Saturday, January 8th
Ohio State 10
Lindenwood 0

Buckeye Productivity

18 Goals in 2 Games. Very Simple Math gives us a Goals Per Game Average of 9. A Fruitful Yield to say the least.

Friday, it took Ohio State 2:05 to score. Saturday, the Swarming Buckeye Offense needed only 17 seconds to light the red lamp. You can't get much more Efficient than that.

Yes, the opponent was over-matched. And of course the Lions will have better days in the future. But the Bumper Crop of goals had to make the OSU players feel like the long hours of training and practice really have paid off.

Three Stars Of The Game: Decidedly Unofficial & Just For Fun

Lindenwood Honorable Mention: (tie) Morgan Neitzke; Rachel Goff and Jada Burke
Mostly unnoticed given the lopsided score, the Lions' top set of forwards played pretty well. In fact, they appeared to score a goal. Breakout Pass from Jada; Stretch Pass from Rachel; Top Shelf Shot by Morgan. Sadly for Lindenwood, the goal was disallowed. Have to admit, even as a Buckeye partisan, I felt a little sorry for the Lions when their goal was taken away.

On a more positive note, each member of that top line was only -1 on the day. Had their goal been allowed to stand, they would have finished even for the game. In a 10-0 loss, that's remarkable.


Ohio State Honorable Mention: (tie) Amanda Thiele and The Buckeye Coaching Staff
One way to increase productivity is to Maximize Output while Minimizing Effort. Earning a shutout with just 12 saves fits that definition pretty well.

But Amanda did get an assist on the would-be Lindenwood goal. Someone in Buckeye camp noticed that Neitzke was straddling the blue line when receiving the Goff pass. Likely offside. My best guess is that one of the sharp-eyed coaches picked up on this. Review requested; call on the ice reversed. The visiting Lindenwood fans booed lustily. But based on the quick reversal, I've got to believe that the call was pretty clear cut. In any event, the shutout was preserved.



#3 Star: Lauren Bernard, Ohio State
The Buckeye 'D' continues to dominate. We're overdue for giving kudos to #19, so here we go. Capable and Resourceful, Bernard doesn't give opposing forwards much room to operate. That was certainly the case against Lindenwood.

In addition to Lauren's defensive prowess, she put up a goal & two assists on Saturday. An Effective blue-liner for sure.



#2 Star: Sophie Jaques, Ohio State
Another Virtuoso Performance by Sophie. For the weekend, Jaques had 3 Goals & 4 Assists; for a total of 7 Points. Saturday Totals: 1 Goal & 3 Assists. Steady, Productive Work all weekend long. Featuring a Hat Trick of Assists on Saturday.

Always Alert & Inventive, Jaques delivered 2 Sophie Stretch Passes that resulted in consecutive 2nd Period goals. The first went to Brooke Bink; the second to Ramsey Parent. The other assist? She had the Primary Assist on Gabby Rosenthal's tally 17 seconds into the game.

I was getting ready to give Sophie another #1 Star, when suddenly...



#1 Star: Brooke Bink, Ohio State
... lightning struck for a third time. It took 59:55, but we had a Hat Trick of Goals on Saturday. Brooke's third allowed her to sneak past Sophie and claim the top spot.

Certainly the Buckeye Defense contributed mightily to the feat. Over the course of the three goals, Bernard; Hadley Hartmetz; Jaques & Eve Savander all provided support with assists.

The bottom line is that the Prolific Buckeye Offense swarmed for the full 60 minutes. On the ultimate goal, perimeter shots by Sara Saekkinen and Eve Savander created a wild scramble in the Lindenwood slot. You better believe Bink wanted that Hat Trick. With sheer will and determination, Brooke won the scramble and swept the puck into the net.



Up Next: Road Trip To St. Cloud State. Keep It Going, Buckeyes!

[osualum86]

The Buckeyes were upset earlier tonight 1-0 by the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs. Give UMD a ton of credit in this one as they did two things that no other team has done against OSU this season; they shut out one of the leading scoring teams in the country, and they also handed Ohio State their first home loss this season. The game was really a great knock-down, drag-out battle for 59+ minutes, but someone forgot to tell the Bulldogs about the plan to go into OT and give the fans some bonus hockey. Kidding aside, congrats to the hero of the game, Kylie Hanley, as she scored the game-winner with 32 seconds to go in the game to give Minnesota-Duluth the 1-0 win. This was a very evenly-played game, although UMD led in shots on goal for most of the game. The final SOG numbers showed the Bulldogs outshooting the Buckeyes 28-27 due to a big third period push by the Buckeyes. Bulldog backstop JoJo Chobak stopped all 27 shots she faced to get the win. Amanda Thiele stopped 27 of the 28 shots she faced. Saw some of the players after the game and you could see the smoke billowing out of their ears. Hats off to the Bulldogs for pulling off the upset tonight. Think we'll see a different Buckeye team tomorrow.