Ohio State Women's Hockey 2025-26

[pgb-ohio]

Final Score From Saturday, January 3rd
Ohio State 4
Penn State 1

Buckeye Power Play Fuels Saturday Win​

- Friday SOG Totals: Buckeyes 45; Nittany Lions 24
- Saturday SOG Totals: Buckeyes 40; Nittany Lions 21

So basically we had two identical games, right?

Not exactly. On Saturday, Ohio State greatly benefited from a 5 Minute Contact to the Head Major. The OSU PP Unit went nuclear, scoring three goals during that highly eventful sequence. Penn State scored its goal during that same block of time, finding the twine in a Even Strength 4 on 4 situation, There was literally only one 5 on 5 goal during the entire game.

Three Stars of the Game: Decidedly Unofficial & Just For Fun​

Honorable Mention: (tie) Maddy Christian, Penn State; and Sara Swiderski, Ohio State
All things considered, we saw two pretty effective defenses; particularly at even strength As is often the case, it's tough to single out one player when there's a solid group effort.

We'll honor the shot blockers this time. Maddy led all players with 4 Blocks. Sara's 3 Blocks wound up being the highest total on the Buckeye list.


#3 Star: (tie) Tessa Janecke, Penn State and Jocelyn Amos, Ohio State
This game had two even strength goals; one for each team. I wouldn't describe the two plays as identical. But let's say there was a familial resemblance,

Tessa intercepted an ill-advised cross-slot pass, then promptly deked the goalie to account for the Nittany Lion tally. Jocelyn picked off a clearing attempt, maneuvered into shooting position, and blasted home the fourth Buckeye goal from medium range. Two snipers; two opportunities; two conversions. One dynamic goal for each side.

#2 Star: Sloane Matthews, Ohio State
Sloane had herself a weekend. OK, she only bagged one scoring point in the rematch. But hey, it was the GWG!

Mira Jungaker started the play with a shot from the high slot. Rebound to Joy Dunne, who attempted to slide the puck across the goal crease. That pass was partially deflected; but it gave Jocelyn Amos a contested SOG. The Amos shot hit the post. But then Matthews finished the job. Great team effort from the swarming PP Unit.

Individually Matthews had two goals & two assists for the series. Nice production, and a fitting reward for a hard-working weekend.

#1 Star: Kaia Malachino, Ohio State
New to Ohio State this year, Kaia saw her first action as a Buckeye. Malachino missed Fall Semester with an injury. But now she's off to a great start; producing an assist on Friday and scoring her first goal as a Buckeye on Saturday. An inaugural weekend to be proud of.

That said, Kaia is no newcomer to NCAA Hockey. She began her career at Colgate, where she scored 25 goals and posted 22 assists. So here at OSU we had the good fortune to inherit a veteran player of Malachino's caliber.

Now, about that first goal. A Cross Checking Minor gave the Buckeyes a 2 Minute Man Advantage, The second PP unit moved the puck around smartly. Brooke Disher & Jordan Baxter earned assists with crisp passes. All that good work led to a prime scoring opportunity for Kaia on the left wing side of the net. Lo & behold, a fair amount of room on the short side. Malachino ripped a blazing shot high into that short side space,

Welcome, Kaia. We're glad we left the light on for you.


Next Stargazing: The Buckeyes Go On The Road For The Next Two Weekends. The Return To The Ice Rink Comes On January 23rd & 24th Against St. Thomas. Here's To Hoping The Stars Shine Brightly Then!

 

[Hockeybuckeye]

I've had concerns how the loss of five Olympians will affect us in February but now I'm somewhat
optimistic we may have Peschel back. I don't know her actual medical status but she's no longer using crutches or wearing a boot and was walking normally in tennis shoes this weekend.
Fingers crossed!

 

[BuckyB]

I've had concerns how the loss of five Olympians will affect us in February but now I'm somewhat
optimistic we may have Peschel back. I don't know her actual medical status but she's no longer using crutches or wearing a boot and was walking normally in tennis shoes this weekend.
Fingers crossed!

Lots of teams will have players missing and most will have lossses that will make winning very very tough if not impossible.
Riding 2 or 3 players to death will no longer be an option tocarry the team.

 

[Hockeybuckeye]

Lots of teams will have players missing and most will have lossses that will make winning very very tough if not impossible.
Riding 2 or 3 players to death will no longer be an option tocarry the team.

I can't say how much of a factor not having Emma was against Wisconsin but it was a factor. Also not having the reserves we've had in the past getting Emma back would help our bench not being any shorter.

 

[pgb-ohio]

... Fortunately Janecki wasn't a factor against our D...

Whenever Tessa is on the ice, she changes the game & makes Penn State better. But yes, credit the Buckeyes for (mostly) keeping her off the scoresheet.

I just wish we could play Penn State more often, it could be a great rivalry!

I've posted this sentiment a number of times over the years. And yes: In a perfect world, we'd have an annual series with the Nittany Lions. But with only 6 non-conference games to work with, that would come with a cost.

Having nc games with the top ECAC teams has been great. Also, Mercyhurst & Robert Morris make for convenient road trips when they're on the schedule. Giving up any of those games would be tough to accept. The current scheduling approach amounts to a compromise, and is probably for the best.

 

[pgb-ohio]

Lots of teams will have players missing and most will have losses that will make winning very very tough if not impossible.

I'd agree that the Olympic absences will bring the Top 3 teams back to the pack. But make winning tough or impossible? Gotta disagree with that one. I'm thinking closer-than-usual, entertaining games.

Be that as it may, I appreciate the uptick in your posting. Keep the comments coming!

Riding 2 or 3 players to death will no longer be an option to carry the team.

Speaking only with regard to Ohio State, we haven't been exercising that "option."

Granted, our line charts haven't usually listed a full 4th Line. But the two "extra forwards" are generally getting reasonable minutes. As are the 2nd and 3rd Lines. As just one example, our 2nd Line was terrific this weekend against Penn State.

 

[BuckyB]

I'd agree that the Olympic absences will bring the Top 3 teams back to the pack. But make winning tough or impossible? Gotta disagree with that one. I'm thinking closer-than-usual, entertaining games.

Be that as it may, I appreciate the uptick in your posting. Keep the comments coming!

Speaking only with regard to Ohio State, we haven't been exercising that "option."

Granted, our line charts haven't usually listed a full 4th Line. But the two "extra forwards" are generally getting reasonable minutes. As are the 2nd and 3rd Lines. As just one example, our 2nd Line was terrific this weekend against Penn State.

Dunne Amos and Svennson play immense minutes every game

 

[pgb-ohio]

Dunne Amos and Svennson play immense minutes every game

Our 1st Line Forwards are great players. They're very noticeable when they're on the ice.

That said, they aren't getting "immense" minutes, as I would interpret that term. I've followed the Women's WCHA since Year 1, and I believe I know what that looks like. Long ago, there were Shannon Miller seasons at UMD where the Top 6 forwards got a very large percentage of the minutes, In the earliest Muzzerall years at OSU, Coach exploited the "3 media timeouts per period" setup to give a disproportionate share of the minutes to the top players. But at least to my eye, those examples are quite different than the 2025-26 OSU strategy.

 

[BuckyB]

Our 1st Line Forwards are great players. They're very noticeable when they're on the ice.

That said, they aren't getting "immense" minutes, as I would interpret that term. I've followed the Women's WCHA since Year 1, and I believe I know what that looks like. Long ago, there were Shannon Miller seasons at UMD where the Top 6 forwards got a very large percentage of the minutes, In the earliest Muzzerall years at OSU, Coach exploited the "3 media timeouts per period" setup to give a disproportionate share of the minutes to the top players. But at least to my eye, those examples are quite different than the 2025-26 OSU strategy.

Dunne Svensson and Amos average 23 minutes of time on ice per game… Dunne played 34 minutes one game against St.
Cloud…. That’s what immense

 

[pgb-ohio]

Dunne Svensson and Amos average 23 minutes of time on ice per game… Dunne played 34 minutes one game against St.
Cloud…. That’s what immense

Source?

 

[BuckyB]

Basic platform used by most all college and professional teams.
Subscribe and you too can be knowledgeable.
Analytics drive the sports world.

 

[robertearle]

Basic platform used by most all college and professional teams.
Subscribe and you too can be knowledgeable.
Analytics drive the sports world.

What's the name of the service or web site?

And is 23 minutes really that much? Ohio State doesn't have a 4th line, even when everyone is healthy. So splitting up 60 minutes across three forward lines: 23 for the first, 20 for the 2nd, and 17 for the 3rd sounds about right to me. What do other teams' first lines log? Duluth, Mankato, etal?

 

[BuckyB]

Hockey tech is used by the PWHL
Catapult is another very good platform that offers users many levels of information as well as Instat, another very good source.

First lines average between 19 and 21 minutes ….

 

[robertearle]

First lines average between 19 and 21 minutes ….

In the WCHA? Or other leagues?

Because averaging only 20 minutes in a league where 4th lines don't get much time implies either all three lines are getting the same 20 minutes, or the "first line" isn't really the first line.

(And we're in danger of starting a discussion of the "mean value theorem", LOL.)

------------------

Looking around the web, "Time on Ice" stats can readily be found for the PWHL, and for NCAA men's teams... but not for NCAA women's teams. LOL

 

[Timothy A]

This thought crossed my mind.......so much for the vendetta, eh? Of course the only payback you are really interested in is in March.