Final Score From Saturday, October 26th
Ohio State 7
Cornell 3
Honoring The IceBreaker's All-Tournament Team
The IceBreaker turned out to be an enjoyable success. OK, the presentation was a little rough around the edges. As one example, HockeyBuckeye noted that the concessions weren't quite up to the usual Schottenstein Center standards. Also, accessing the building wasn't 100% smooth. Some of the normal entrances weren't in use, perhaps due to staffing issues. But everyone persevered. The guess here is that these small glitches were primarily a function of holding the tournament on a Home Football Weekend.
One the ice, there was plenty to like. Naturally those of us connected to The Ohio State University were pleased with The 1st Place finish. From there, it wasn't exactly a shock that the 3 players from the host school landed on the All-Tournament Team. I'll embrace this story line and award my Three Stars to those Buckeyes.
One Nittany Lion was selected for the All Tourney Squad: Tessa Janecke. I certainly have no quarrel with that choice; Tessa earned a Star from me for both of the games she played this weekend.
Two members of the Cornell Big Red earned places in the club. I recognize each with an Honorable Mention in my Championship Game Post.
Three Stars Of The Game: Decidedly Unofficial & Just For Fun
Honorable Mention: (tie) Grace Dwyer, Cornell & Annelies Bergmann, Cornell
Grace becomes the latest installment in my effort to honor effective defense in this space. Like the others previously earning this Mention, Grace shows great hockey instincts and hustle, and always seems to be in the mix. Often she's the player to settle down the chaos. So I'm happy to concur with the Dwyer selection.
Ohio State and Penn State both split the goalkeeping duties during the tournament. But Annelies held down the Cornell Net all weekend long. No doubt Bergmann had her best experience with shutout she earned on Friday. It's equally obvious that she'd rewrite the Saturday narrative if she could. I'll just say Annelies is a fine goalie and stick with my theme.
#3 Star: Emma Peschel, Ohio State
I dunno; should Peschel have nickname? "Effective Emma" might be a good first try.
Beyond her reliable defense, Peschel had an important Assist on the GWG. Emma zipped a pass across to
Joy Dunne. Joy launched a "take no prisoners" rocket toward the Big Red Net. Along the way, the blast slightly deflected off of
Jenna Buglioni -- making it even more impossible to stop. Thus 3 of OSU's biggest stars wound up combining for the game-winner.
#2 Star: Jocelyn Amos, Ohio State
Statistically speaking, Jocelyn had the biggest day. Her 4 points came from 2 Goals & 2 Assists. That was the top total for all players. As it happened, Amos was something of a Special Teams Guru in the title game, netting both a short handed goal and a power play goal.
Jocelyn would have been fully deserving of the #1 Star. Except that...
#1 Star: Joy Dunne, Ohio State
... Joy Dunne was the top difference maker in this one. I've told you about Dunne's Primary Assist on the GWG. Perhaps even more important was her tally with 0.6 seconds left in the 1st Period.
Time was running down in the opening stanza. The Buckeyes were clinging to a tenuous 2-1 lead. Some teams would have been content to let the clock run out and regroup in the locker room. But there was no quit in the Buckeyes' top line. Defender
Brooke Disher wasn't ready to relax either. The Big Red tried to clear their defensive zone, but Brooke said No. Next move, Dishing the puck to Jenna Buglioni behind the Cornell Net. From there, a necessarily quick centering pass -- which Joy pounded home.
Live, I believed it was clearly a good goal. I experienced some nervous surprise when I learned there had only been six tenths of a second to spare. But happily it was enough. Even after Cornell mounted a strong two goal push, cutting the 4-1 lead to 4-3, Ohio State was still in a favorable position. A three goal Buckeye response, highlighted by the two Amos goals, closed the transaction.
Next Stargazing: The Buckeyes Host The Wisconsin Badgers On November 15th & 16th. Prior To That Home Series, Ohio State Travels To St. Thomas.