Ohio State Buckeyes 2022-2023 ... The Drive For Duluth

[nobody72924]

Not only am I looking forward to being at the Frozen Four since I missed last year's recovering from being critically ill but I'd like to meet as many fellow forum members in attendance as well!

I’ll be there. Go Bucks!

[osualum86]

That goal by Lauren Bernard was so awesome. Not sure I’ve see a water bottle get rattled like that before.

was the band there?

The band was there.

[osualum86]

I’ll be there. Go Bucks!

Mrs. 86 and I will be making the trek to Duluth!

[osualum86]

The interior space is well taken care of. The reason to tear down St. John would be the value of the land -- for an academic building or a dorm. The historic and sentimental value of St. John is a major reason for the gridlock, as Hockey Buckeye notes.

I have never heard anyone say that either the Equipment Managers or Athletic Trainers are lacking for equipment, supplies or space. This "issue" is a figment of your imagination.

Volleyball (men's and women's) and if I am not mistaken, gymnastics matches, were all being held at St. John Arena right up until the Covelli Center was completed, so anyone who is saying there are not training facilities there is full of ****, plain and simple.

[osualum86]

The Buckeye Women punched their ticket to Duluth next weekend with a 5-2 win over Quinnipiac earlier today. The Bobcats actually opened the scoring in this one and led 1-0 at the first intermission on a goal from Kendall Cooper. The Buckeyes came out in the second period and slowly started to take the game over. The Buckeyes outshot the Bobcats 24-3 in the second period and got goals from Gabby Rosenthal and Lauren Bernard to take a 2-1 lead into the final intermission. Ohio State kept firing in the final frame. Emma Peschel and Sophie Jaques both lit the lamp to give the Buckeyes an insurmountable 4-1 lead. Quinnipiac got a late goal from Maddy Samoskevich to pull to within 4-2. That would be as close as they would get. Ohio State's Sophie Jaques added an empty-netter to make the final score 5-2. The Buckeyes outshot the Bobcats in this one 44-23 with Buckeye netminder Amanda Thiele stopping 21 of the 23 shots she faced to get the win. Bobcat backstop Logan Angers stopped 39 of the 43 shots she faced in the loss. Quinnipiac ends their season with a 30-10 record and a second straight trip to the NCAA Quarterfinals. Ohio State moves to 32-5-2 and advances to the Frozen Four where they will play Northeastern on Friday. The Huskies defeated Yale earlier today by a final score of 4-1.

[robertearle]

Mrs. 86 and I will be making the trek to Duluth!

For those of you driving, keep a close eye on the weather forecasts. Right now the web site Weather Underground has Thursday rain all day in Madison turning to snow overnight into Friday, and mostly snow starting midday Thursday continuing into Friday for Duluth. So a "switch-over" and wintry mix somewhere in between. Maybe 6 to 8 inches all told for Duluth. Subject to change of course, good or bad. From memory from 2012, for the last 150 miles or so, the roads are OK, but not interstate either. (And since then, Wisconsin government hasn't been doing a very good job spending on road repair.)

[KTDC]

That's not quite accurate. Ella Huber was terrible taking face-offs. I'm pretty sure that's why Heise spent so much time on the ice over the last eight minutes. Overall, she was good on draws, but was out of gas for the last 3-4 minutes.

I thought it happened at the end of the second period also, but maybe not.

It was like the end of a basketball game. Drop the puck, Buckeye would send it to a defenseman or the slot and they'd shoot, and goaltender gloves it. 1 second later repeat again, and again...

[drewkal]

For those of you driving, keep a close eye on the weather forecasts. Right now the web site Weather Underground has Thursday rain all day in Madison turning to snow overnight into Friday, and mostly snow starting midday Thursday continuing into Friday for Duluth. So a "switch-over" and wintry mix somewhere in between. Maybe 6 to 8 inches all told for Duluth. Subject to change of course, good or bad. From memory from 2012, for the last 150 miles or so, the roads are OK, but not interstate either. (And since then, Wisconsin government hasn't been doing a very good job spending on road repair.)

My Accuweather Pro forecast is a bit better than the Wunderground. For Madison Thursday I have a high of 48, rain and drizzle in the PM. Friday high of 37, some snow showers in the morning. MSP rain and drizzle Thurs PM, otherwise no precip, high 43 Thurs, 29 Friday. Duluth is snowing right now, then nice through Thursday when there's rain and drizzle in the afternoon. It's all Interstate highway, all of Wisconsin and from MSP to Duluth. And the roads are kept up well, I do the Minneapolis-Madison trip twice a year and Minneapolis-Duluth more often as one of my sons lives there. Wisconsin's road projects are pretty much done!

[robertearle]

My Accuweather Pro forecast is a bit better than the Wunderground. For Madison Thursday I have a high of 48, rain and drizzle in the PM. Friday high of 37, some snow showers in the morning. MSP rain and drizzle Thurs PM, otherwise no precip, high 43 Thurs, 29 Friday. Duluth is snowing right now, then nice through Thursday when there's rain and drizzle in the afternoon. It's all Interstate highway, all of Wisconsin and from MSP to Duluth. And the roads are kept up well, I do the Minneapolis-Madison trip twice a year and Minneapolis-Duluth more often as one of my sons lives there. Wisconsin's road projects are pretty much done!

Madison to Duluth via the Cities would not be my choice; maybe in the snow. Otherwise, turn off onto US 53 at Eau Claire.

[Hockeybuckeye]

Duluth getting hit with snow this weekend. I've been following the weather patterns between Columbus and the route to Duluth for the past week. Most Buckeye fans know I have a 4WD Suburban with a spare set of rims with new studded deep tread snow tires on them to put on it tomorrow for the road trip.
I've never had a problem with driving in the worst winter weather, only with the people who don't know how to drive in it!

[robertearle]

To each their own. Mileage is about the same, you don't even need to go through the cities if you don't want to. 94 from Wisconsin to 694 north, E of St Paul to 35E and straight N to Duluth. I don't know why you wouldn't take the interstate.

Eau Claire to Minneapolis adds an extra 100 miles.

[drewkal]

Duluth getting hit with snow this weekend. I've been following the weather patterns between Columbus and the route to Duluth for the past week. Most Buckeye fans know I have a 4WD Suburban with a spare set of rims with new studded deep tread snow tires on them to put on it tomorrow for the road trip.
I've never had a problem with driving in the worst winter weather, only with the people who don't know how to drive in it!

Good winter or all weather tires are the secret to survival and sanity up here. All seasons are better than summer tires, but Nokian makes a great "All Weather WR G4" tire. They are almost as good as a dedicated winter tire, but you can drive them all year. And, yes, it's the other goofballs on the roads that don't know how to drive on ice and snow that'll get you!

[drewkal]

Eau Claire to Minneapolis adds an extra 100 miles.

You are correct, I'm wrong. I just never had to drive from Eau Claire to Duluth! But I stand by my weather forecast. But that's weather, not miles! One can't be measured, just guessed at!

[osualum86]

Madison to Duluth via the Cities would not be my choice; maybe in the snow. Otherwise, turn off onto US 53 at Eau Claire.

That is how google maps is sending us ... US 53 from Eau Claire up to Duluth. One of our Minnesota friends (CrazyDave ... not sure if he is still on here or not) tipped us off that there is some major roadwork at the US 53/I-35 interchange in Superior, WI, so we should make the left turn onto US 2 and take that into Duluth. We have been watching Accuweather.com for the forecasts and it is not quite as severe as Weather Underground.

[pgb-ohio]

Final Score From Saturday, March 11th
Ohio State 5
Quinnipiac 2
(Ohio State Advances To The Frozen Four)

And The Oscar For Best Women's Hockey Team Goes To...

The OSU Ice Rink may well be the ugliest rink in college hockey. But the 2022-23 Buckeyes produced a beautiful picture in our humble facility. The star-studded Ohio State cast gave us many compelling story lines. Saturday was closing night for the Ice Rink's season. The curtain came down to thunderous applause. Now it's time to move on to the biggest stage.

The Oscars have Hollywood. This year Women's Hockey has the North Woods. Canal Park in Duluth will provide the bright lights and the fancy carpet.

The high quality Frozen Four Field won't disappoint. Outstanding pictures were also produced in Boston, Madison & Minneapolis. So the question on everyone's mind is: Which of the nominees will win the hardware for Best Picture? But first things first. Let's talk about how the Buckeyes snagged their nomination.

Quinnipiac was positively heroic in their 6 period victory over Penn State. But another question on everyone's mind was: Will Bobcat fatigue be a factor on Saturday? We'll never know for sure. But the game did fit what I've dubbed the historical pattern: The team with the bye starts slow, but gains strength as the game goes on. The first round winner starts fast, but energy wanes as the game goes on. The benefits of the off-day did seem to be cancelled out by the extra sessions on Thursday.

Quinnipiac was indeed the better team in the first period. OK, the Bobcats' SOG advantage was modest at 12-10. Still, the quality chances disparity was greater. But for a crossbar and a post, Quinnipiac might have led 3-0 at the 1st Intermission.

Things flipped completely in the 2nd Period. The SOG advantage belonged to the Buckeyes at 24-3. With the shot production came many quality chances. It took half the period to tie the score; but only four additional minutes to grab the lead. From an Ohio State perspective, we had a good comfort level the rest of the way.

So were Quinnipiac's tournament aspirations a pipe dream? No, while the pipes were a hindrance; the Bobcats were a legitimate NCAA contender. And pipe shots didn't decide the matter. The relentless Buckeyes controlled the 2nd & 3rd Periods, and ultimately the game. All that said, the Bobcats should be proud of their performance at the Regional.

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

Quinnipiac Honorable Mention: (tie) Kendall Cooper; and Maddy Samoskevich
Kendall opened the scoring with a stiff shot from the high slot. Cooper's drive fooled the Buckeye keeper. I'm not sure if the puck glanced off an OSU defender, or if her shot was just that good. But it definitely got the Bobcats off to a good start.

Quinnipiac certainly didn't quit, and actually had an adrenaline surge late in the 3rd. Maddy led that charge with a long range Extra Attacker Goal with 3:36 left. Kendall and Nina Steignauf set up the Samoskevich blast.


Ohio State Honorable Honorable Mention: Gabby Rosenthal
From here, I'll honor the Buckeye scorers in chronological order. Gabby broke the ice, as Gabby often does. Makenna Webster and Jenn Gardiner generated a shot on goal; but it appeared that a Bobcat clearing attempt was going to end the play. Rosenthal was having none of it. After the puck glanced off of at least one opposing player, Gabby regained possession and powered the puck into the net.


#3 Star: Lauren Bernard, Ohio State
Madison, Ohio Native Bernard certainly did the Great State of Ohio proud with the go-ahead goal. She gained possession, then fought her way to the Bobcat goal cage. To my eye, Quinnipiac Goalie Logan Angers is one of those keepers who takes away the low shot and dares you to shoot high. Lauren took the dare. The result? An awe-inspiring comet that blazed it's way into the top shelf. Angers played very well in the nets, but no one was stopping that one.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I'll quickly note that Bernard was in the penalty box when the Bobcats opened the scoring. Just maybe that experience added a little extra zing to comet. But no worries either way, Lauren. You more than atoned. That comet earned a Star.

#2 Star: (tie) Emma Maltais, Ohio State; and Emma Peschel, Ohio State
Are Two Emmas are better than one? Maybe; it took two Emmas to score the 3rd Buckeye Goal.

First, let me note that Maltais was All-World in the Face-Off Circle. 36 wins on 46 tries. That's a win rate of 78.3%! It was a big factor in the Buckeyes' ability to gain & retain control of the play.

Now, about the 4th goal. Maltais had the initial shot. Angers stopped that one. But Peschel pinched in and slammed home the rebound.

#1 Star: Sophie Jaques, Ohio State
It was another all around performance from Sophie. Impressive two-way hockey featuring 5 Blocks & 8 SOG. And of course the final two goals of the season at the Ice Rink.

During Bobcat surges, Jaques consistently settled down the play and restored order. When you see a 1-on-1 battle coming, and you notice the Buckeye is Sophie, it just feels so good.

On the Jaques goal, Webster and Gardiner got the puck to Sophie. Then Sophie did what Sophie does. Patiently and cleverly finds a shooting lane, locks in on the target, and nails it.

Finally, the empty-netter was simply meant to be. With a little help from Rosenthal in the defensive end, Jaques carried the puck up the left wing boards, crossed center ice, then expertly steered the puck into the Bobcat net. Curtains for Quinnipiac.


Up Next: The Frozen Four. See You In Duluth.