What's new
By:
USCHO Fan Forum

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • The USCHO Fan Forum has migrated to a new plaform, xenForo. Most of the function of the forum should work in familiar ways. Please note that you can switch between light and dark modes by clicking on the gear icon in the upper right of the main menu bar. We are hoping that this new platform will prove to be faster and more reliable. Please feel free to explore its features.

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

My 10 Greatest Memories Of The 2022 Frozen Four
(Resuming With #3)

3. Kenzie Hauswirth's National Title Winning Goal It wasn't the prettiest goal you'll ever see. But for Buckeye fans, there's never been a sweeter goal.

Live, I thought that Lexi Templeman might have executed a brilliant tip. But ESPNU footage clearly shows the puck banking off the skate of a Bulldog 'D.' BTW, don't blame that defender for one second. If she hadn't been closely marking Lexi, Templeman might very well have had the tip-in. Instead, a relatively innocent shot from the left wing boards turned into an unstoppable deflection.

In the building, the identity of the goal scorer wasn't in doubt for long. After an animated celebration with her on-ice teammates, Hauswirth led the charge to the Buckeye Bench, and positively flew through the high five line. My first thought was: "Who gave Kenzie the jet pack?"

It's perfectly fitting that the "energy line" got the big goal. The Top 6 forwards have basically been the same group all year long. It goes without saying that all 6 made invaluable contributions from start to finish. But by the time season was reaching its zenith, the Saekkinen/Hauswirth/Templeman group had become an irresistible force in its own right. Astonishing Hustle. Available to be deployed in any situation. Depth is Good. Check that. Depth is Great!


2. Jenn Gardiner's Semi-Final Game Winning Goal Still hoping for a photogenic goal to be part of the championship run? At 10:57 of the Semi-Final 2nd Period, Jennifer provided it. This goal stood out from all others in the tournament. My Memories List includes a lot of superlatives. But I mean this very sincerely: The Gardiner Goal was one of the most spectacular plays I've ever seen. At any level. The speed & skill were awesome.

Long dash. An inside/outside move that left an otherwise staunch defender flat-footed. A quick release, top shelf slam that blew past the stunned goalie. The keeper didn't even move. No one, and I mean no one, was going to stop Jenn on that play.

We still had half a game to play. But Gardiner's goal held up as the game-winner. I wouldn't have had it any other way.


Up Next: The Greatest Memory Of Them All.
 
pgb-ohio said:
2. Jenn Gardiner's Semi-Final Game Winning Goal Still hoping for a photogenic goal to be part of the championship run? At 10:57 of the Semi-Final 2nd Period, Jennifer provided it. This goal stood out from all others in the tournament. My Memories List includes a lot of superlatives. But I mean this very sincerely: The Gardiner Goal was one of the most spectacular plays I've ever seen. At any level. The speed & skill were awesome.

Long dash. An inside/outside move that left an otherwise staunch defender flat-footed. A quick release, top shelf slam that blew past the stunned goalie. The keeper didn't even move. No one, and I mean no one, was going to stop Jenn on that play.

We still had half a game to play. But Gardiner's goal held up as the game-winner. I wouldn't have had it any other way.
Click to expand...

It reminded me of Annie Pankowski's goal in 2019 that put Wisconsin up 2-0 in the national final; very similar, in a mirror image sort of way. Memorable, 'iconic' goals.

https://twitter.com/NCAAIceHockey/st...04018552164353
 
Last edited:
robertearle said:
It reminded me of Annie Pankowski's goal in 2019 that put Wisconsin up 2-0 in the national final; very similar, in a mirror image sort of way. Memorable, 'iconic' goals.

https://twitter.com/NCAAIceHockey/st...04018552164353
Click to expand...

Yup, that's a really cool goal as well.

Now after beating the 1st Gopher 'D,' Annie did have a little more space than Jenn did. But on the other hand, using the backhand certainly increased the level of difficulty of the shot. Also, coming down the off-wing, taking the backhander made the shooting angle tougher. Awesome work.
 
Offsides Guy said:
I find it interesting that in an interview Muzz gave upon their arrival back in Columbus, she said she’ll probably start scouring the transfer portal the next day. Clearly this is a key part of her strategy moving forward. I’m certainly not saying it should not be part of her strategy, but I really wonder how it will impact recruiting. I might be hard-pressed to recommend OSU to my daughter when I know the coach is so aggressively going to be using the transfer portal. I would be concerned Muzz might decommit my daughter or replace her playing time with a transfer. Obviously other coaches are and will make use of the transfer portal. She was just very frontal about it. Curious what others think.
Click to expand...

We do have three new kids coming in next season (freshmen, not transfers) that I am aware of, so if Coach hits the transfer portal, it will not be like it was this past offseason where she brought in eight transfers. And just a reminder since some are obviously unaware, coming out of the 2020-21 season we had 17 skaters (4 goaltenders ... 21 total players), so we were extremely thin. That is why Coach hit the transfer portal so hard last summer. And as most are aware, three of the eight transfers were RMU kids who had the rug pulled out from under them with their program getting dropped. I doubt if Coach brings in eight transfers every year and I am 100% sure Coach is well aware that she needs to keep the pipeline open regarding recruiting new players.
 
robertearle said:
It reminded me of Annie Pankowski's goal in 2019 that put Wisconsin up 2-0 in the national final; very similar, in a mirror image sort of way. Memorable, 'iconic' goals.

https://twitter.com/NCAAIceHockey/st...04018552164353
Click to expand...

Pretty goal by Annie Pankowski! Thanks for sharing that. Mrs 86 and I had gone out to Quinnipiac that season in September for a non-league series which we swept and were hoping to return in March (obviously), but things didn't work out for the Buckeyes that season. That 2018-19 team had the talent to get back to the NCAA Tournament, but they lost too many games they had no business losing, and they paid dearly for those losses in the PairWise. They finished 9th or 10th in the PairWise and didn't make the tournament that season. Thankfully, they learned their lessons on that and don't take anyone lightly these days.
 
pgb-ohio said:
Yup, that's a really cool goal as well.

Now after beating the 1st Gopher 'D,' Annie did have a little more space than Jenn did. But on the other hand, using the backhand certainly increased the level of difficulty of the shot. Also, coming down the off-wing, taking the backhander made the shooting angle tougher. Awesome work.
Click to expand...

For me at least, they become 'the' goal you think of when you hear the player's name. Ten years from now, when you hear Jenn Gardiner's name, that ten seconds of video is what will play in your head.
 
robertearle said:
For me at least, they become 'the' goal you think of when you hear the player's name. Ten years from now, when you hear Jenn Gardiner's name, that ten seconds of video is what will play in your head.
Click to expand...

For sure. That puck went in and out of the net so fast that we did not even see it, and it was actually right in front of us. Mrs 86 and I were sitting in the ADA section because she had surgery on her foot last month and is getting around with a knee walker these days. Penn State has a great arena, but their only handicapped seats were in the end zone. It was the home side of the ice, so it was only our attack zone for the second period of the two games. Had a great time despite the seating situation.
 
My Greatest Memory Of The 2022 Frozen Four
(#1 of 10)

1. Closing The Deal & Celebrating It's hard to explain to a non-believer why winning a Frozen Four means so much. It just does.

Suppose a Martian showed up, and said: "Take me to your leader."

Our response? "You'll have to wait awhile. She's standing on an ice sheet. She's so happy she's crying. In cases like this, the correct procedure is to dump a few gallons of Powerade on her head."

The poor Martian would probably flee to the home planet at warp speed.

Now let's turn back the clock just a little. My most memorable moments started after Kenzie Hauswirth's go-ahead goal.

6 minutes, 40 seconds remained in regulation time. We had regained the lead. The possibility of winning it all suddenly seemed very real. Along with the enormity of what could potentially be lost, should things not go as hoped.

I turned to my buddy and said: "Our team closes really well. We're in good shape." In my head, I firmly believed in that statement. My gut wasn't so sure.

Watching the re-broadcast of the game, the last 6:40 seemed to move along pretty briskly. But live, it seemed to take much longer. Before one of the last face-offs, I needed a break. To look away for just a moment. I buried my face in my hands. A tournament friend, the guy in the Penquins cap, offered support and said: "Easy, buddy. It's almost over." I thanked him. But my private thought was a little grimmer. "What's almost over? Regulation time? Or the Buckeye Dream?

In the end, the confident takes turned out to be correct. The Buckeyes did a fantastic job of keeping the Bulldogs outside of scoring range. The Bulldogs couldn't even get their goalie pulled until less than 40 seconds remained. After one last defensive zone face-off, the puck was cleared and skidded harmlessly through the neutral zone. Celebration On!

Celebrating Hockey Championships is both weird and wonderful, in equal parts. I mean: "We're #1! Let's have a Yard Sale!" Really? Then there's the Ceremonial Dissection of the Goal Cage. Our players certainly picked that carcass clean. And we've already mentioned the Ritual Powerade Shower. You just have to smile.

And yet there's also an awesome beauty to it. The emotions are raw and real. Host school fans were sincerely impressed that both our A.D. and the University President were out on the ice, celebrating with the team. In a world with daunting problems, a little beauty is a very good thing. During the on-ice celebration at Pegula, the biggest "problem" was figuring out who to hug next.

In the stands, the joy from the ice was infectious. Now that's the kind of infection we need more of. I wouldn't have missed a second of it. I'm sure that every Buckeye present felt the same way.
 
Last edited:
robertearle said:
It reminded me of Annie Pankowski's goal in 2019 that put Wisconsin up 2-0 in the national final; very similar, in a mirror image sort of way. Memorable, 'iconic' goals.

https://twitter.com/NCAAIceHockey/st...04018552164353
Click to expand...

I think Pankowski has been badly underestimated by our national team directors. She had some brilliant moves. I loved her performance in the Four Nations and IIHF games. She was a terror for the opponents when she was in college, and should have been given more opportunity at the top level.
 
pgb-ohio said:
My Greatest Memory Of The 2022 Frozen Four
(#1 of 10)

1. Closing The Deal & Celebrating It's hard to explain to a non-believer why winning a Frozen Four means so much. It just does.

Suppose a Martian showed up, and said: "Take me to your leader."

Our response? "You'll have to wait awhile. She's standing on an ice sheet. She's so happy she's crying. In cases like this, the correct procedure is to dump a few gallons of Powerade on her head."

The poor Martian would probably flee to the home planet at warp speed.

Now let's turn back the clock just a little. My most memorable moments started after Kenzie Hauswirth's go-ahead goal.

6 minutes, 40 seconds remained in regulation time. We had regained the lead. The possibility of winning it all suddenly seemed very real. Along with the enormity of what could potentially be lost, should things not go as hoped.

I turned to my buddy and said: "Our team closes really well. We're in good shape." In my head, I firmly believed in that statement. My gut wasn't so sure.

Watching the re-broadcast of the game, the last 6:40 seemed to move along pretty briskly. But live, it seemed to take much longer. Before one of the last face-offs, I needed a break. To look away for just a moment. I buried my face in my hands. A tournament friend, the guy in the Penquins cap, offered support and said: "Easy, buddy. It's almost over." I thanked him. But my private thought was a little grimmer. "What's almost over? Regulation time? Or the Buckeye Dream?

In the end, the confident takes turned out to be correct. The Buckeyes did a fantastic job of keeping the Bulldogs outside of scoring range. The Bulldogs couldn't even get their goalie pulled until less than 40 seconds remained. After one last defensive zone face-off, the puck was cleared and skidded harmlessly through the neutral zone. Celebration On!

Celebrating Hockey Championships is both weird and wonderful, in equal parts. I mean: "We're #1! Let's have a Yard Sale!" Really? Then there's the Ceremonial Dissection of the Goal Cage. Our players certainly picked that carcass clean. And we've already mentioned the Ritual Powerade Shower. You just have to smile.

And yet there's also an awesome beauty to it. The emotions are raw and real. Host school fans were sincerely impressed that both our A.D. and the University President were out on the ice, celebrating with the team. In a world with daunting problems, a little beauty is a very good thing. During the on-ice celebration at Pegula, the biggest "problem" was figuring out who to hug next.

In the stands, the joy from the ice was infectious. Not that's the kind of infection we need more of. I wouldn't have missed a second of it. I'm sure that every Buckeye present felt the same way.
Click to expand...

I have always said that the better team wins, and that you should just appreciate the process of getting there. The Ohio State has been exceptional all year long. Whether people admit it to themselves or not, I think the undercurrent was always that Scarlet and Grey would be the biggest threat to top the heap. I am not surprised at the win, and look forward to our teams battling again next season.
 
pgb-ohio said:
My Greatest Memory Of The 2022 Frozen Four
(#1 of 10)

1. Closing The Deal & Celebrating It's hard to explain to a non-believer why winning a Frozen Four means so much. It just does.

Suppose a Martian showed up, and said: "Take me to your leader."

Our response? "You'll have to wait awhile. She's standing on an ice sheet. She's so happy she's crying. In cases like this, the correct procedure is to dump a few gallons of Powerade on her head."

The poor Martian would probably flee to the home planet at warp speed.

Now let's turn back the clock just a little. My most memorable moments started after Kenzie Hauswirth's go-ahead goal.

6 minutes, 40 seconds remained in regulation time. We had regained the lead. The possibility of winning it all suddenly seemed very real. Along with the enormity of what could potentially be lost, should things not go as hoped.

I turned to my buddy and said: "Our team closes really well. We're in good shape." In my head, I firmly believed in that statement. My gut wasn't so sure.

Watching the re-broadcast of the game, the last 6:40 seemed to move along pretty briskly. But live, it seemed to take much longer. Before one of the last face-offs, I needed a break. To look away for just a moment. I buried my face in my hands. A tournament friend, the guy in the Penquins cap, offered support and said: "Easy, buddy. It's almost over." I thanked him. But my private thought was a little grimmer. "What's almost over? Regulation time? Or the Buckeye Dream?

In the end, the confident takes turned out to be correct. The Buckeyes did a fantastic job of keeping the Bulldogs outside of scoring range. The Bulldogs couldn't even get their goalie pulled until less than 40 seconds remained. After one last defensive zone face-off, the puck was cleared and skidded harmlessly through the neutral zone. Celebration On!

Celebrating Hockey Championships is both weird and wonderful, in equal parts. I mean: "We're #1! Let's have a Yard Sale!" Really? Then there's the Ceremonial Dissection of the Goal Cage. Our players certainly picked that carcass clean. And we've already mentioned the Ritual Powerade Shower. You just have to smile.

And yet there's also an awesome beauty to it. The emotions are raw and real. Host school fans were sincerely impressed that both our A.D. and the University President were out on the ice, celebrating with the team. In a world with daunting problems, a little beauty is a very good thing. During the on-ice celebration at Pegula, the biggest "problem" was figuring out who to hug next.

In the stands, the joy from the ice was infectious. Not that's the kind of infection we need more of. I wouldn't have missed a second of it. I'm sure that every Buckeye present felt the same way.
Click to expand...

I remember looking at the clock in the third period and telling Mrs 86 "This will be the longest 5:36 in history."
 
osualum86 said:
... Mrs 86 and I were sitting in the ADA section because she had surgery on her foot last month and is getting around with a knee walker these days. Penn State has a great arena, but their only handicapped seats were in the end zone. It was the home side of the ice, so it was only our attack zone for the second period of the two games. Had a great time despite the seating situation.
Click to expand...
I know of another family that had the same situation. After a fair amount of complaining, they were given a spot in the top row, on the side. That single row of seats came with individual chairs and a continuous table top. I presume those are usually premium seats. Or maybe they're normally used by the media. But they were perfect for someone in a wheelchair. Or using a knee walker.

Anyhow, I wish I had known to coach you up on that.

osualum86 said:
I remember looking at the clock in the third period and telling Mrs 86 "This will be the longest 5:36 in history."
Click to expand...
I knew we'd be on the same page on this one. (knowing smile here)

On reflection, giving up the late goal to Quinnipiac may have been a blessing in disguise. Not that you'd ever voluntarily choose that scenario. But in the end, it didn't knock us out of the tournament. Instead, it made the Buckeyes stronger. The steely resolve with which the players closed out the two FF games was absolutely thrilling.

Of course the waning moments were still agonizingly slow. But not the super slo-mo that that they might have been!
 
Last edited:
osualum86 said:
Mrs 86 and I were sitting in the ADA section because she had surgery on her foot last month and is getting around with a knee walker these days.
Click to expand...

I totally forgot to come check the boards to see who was at the games, so I'm sorry I didn't come say hi to anyone. I barely saw my friends/family while they were in Pegula.

That being said, my husband was also on a knee scooter and he and my friends were so happy to tell me another lady there was on one, as well and that my husband and her shared a sort of chagrined commiserating look. I'm guessing that was Mrs. 86.
 
pgb-ohio said:
On reflection, giving up the late goal to Quinnipiac may have been a blessing in disguise. Not that you'd ever voluntarily choose that scenario. But in the end, it didn't knock us out of the tournament. Instead, it made the Buckeyes stronger. The steely resolve with which the players closed out the two FF games was absolutely thrilling.

Of course the waning moments were still agonizingly slow. But not the super slo-mo that that they might have been!
Click to expand...

I talked to Levis after the game about the loss in Bemidji and how it basically cost them the regular season title. Even though it wasn't a big deal in the scheme of things, she said that game sort of shook them up a bit. They needed some "adversity" - generally Muzzy and this team function well thinking of themselves as disrespected underdogs. Truth or not, it was a good motivator for them. But I think having the mindset of "overcoming" that loss and then the Quinnipiac game worked well for them.

It's similar to how the loss to Minnesota in the WCHA semi was a wake up call for UMD
 
D2D said:
Ohio State’s Nadine Muzerall is USCHO’s 2022 Coach of the Year

Was there any doubt?
"Congratulations to this year’s USCHO Coach of the Year, Nadine Muzerall."

https://www.uscho.com/2022/03/31/wo...ne-muzerall-is-uschos-2022-coach-of-the-year/
Click to expand...

Both schools that played the tournament final showcased topnotch coaching talent. Watch out for Duluth next year. Maura Crowell has done a great job restoring respectability to that program. Next year might be her turn.
Speaking of Duluth, where is Blackbeard? I really appreciated the media links that got passed on from up north.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top