Final Score From Saturday, March 15th
Ohio State 6
St. Lawrence 1
Ultimately the prophecy was fulfilled. But the Saints did give some meaning to my nerves. St. Lawrence opened the scoring with a PP tally. Even after the Buckeyes successfully responded, Ohio State had only a one goal lead after two periods. What was the second period like? OSU: 22 Shots. SLU: 1 Shot. Scoring? No Scoring. The feeling? Well, we certainly do seem to be overpowering. But maybe this just isn't meant to be.
Clearly the Saints had a plan. Strong forechecker. Have a Saint Sniper lurking nearby. Create an offensive zone turnover. Crisp pass to the Sniper; Grade A scoring chance. Naturally Plan A was to have Abby Hustler do the sniping. The Saints almost pulled it off a couple of times. Happily for the home fans, the Buckeyes nipped those attempts in the bud. Had St. Lawrence been able to tie the game at 2-2, who knows?
The next problem was finally breaking through the stingy Saints defense. You know the old truism: In the biggest games, your best players have to produce. All three of the Buckeye Forwards atop the Line Chart convincingly proved that they're big game players. The trio monopolizes this edition of The Three Stars.
St. Lawrence Honorable Mention: Aly McLeod
Saint Aly opened the scoring. Nice puck movement by the St. Lawrence PP. Didn't catch the number of the Saint who set the screen, but good on her. McLeod then focused in on some open space in the top shelf of the Buckeye goal cage, Nailed it. Congrats on a well-chosen, well-executed shot.
Ohio State Honorable Mention: Riley Brengman
Riley posted a WTF +/- Stat on Saturday. Brengman was a +6. What a game! Didn't check, but I've got to believe that's the highest total posted by a Buckeye player this year.
#3 Star: Makenna Webster, Ohio State
What's Makenna's recipe? One Part Fire Plug; Two Parts Pit Bull; and Four Parts Super Nova. Translation? Not the biggest player on the ice, but one of the sturdiest; a competitor filled with sheer determination; and one of the very brightest stars in the sky.
Webster gave us a fine performance on Saturday, assisting on the first Buckeye Goal and scoring the fourth Buckeye Goal. Overall, Makenna was +3 for the game.
#2 Star: Jocelyn Amos, Ohio State
Amos matched her Right Winger's production, scoring the third Buckeye Goal and assisting on the fifth Buckeye Goal. Overall, Jocelyn was also +3 for the game.
There's more, of course. As the first line center, Amos won 64% of her draws. That's always going to make a big difference in a game.
Perhaps Jocelyn's biggest contribution of all is the sparkling synergy she creates with her line mates.
#1 Star: Joy Dunne, Ohio State
Want a Power Forward on your team? A player that can truly overpower the opposition? A prophecy fulfiller? There's no better choice than Joy Dunne.
How 'bout that Saturday production? Dunne scored the second Buckeye Goal; assisted on third & fourth Buckeye Goals; and scored the fifth Buckeye Goal. Totals: Two goals and Two assists for a 4 point night. In terms of +/- , Joy was +4 for the game. By all rights, that should have led all players. But see Riley Brengman's Honorable Mention.
I suppose I could brag that Dunne won 100% of her face-offs. While true, that would be getting a little carried away, even for me. Joy was 1 for 1 in the face-off circle. We can leave the centering to Amos.
Congrats to Saturday's 1st Line. Big Time Players, One & All.
Confidential To PA Announcer Rick & The Buckeye Faithful:
I thoroughly enjoyed the responsive reading of Buckeye Goal. All six times!
Confidential To The Readers:
Sorry about the "slow publication." Last Saturday was a massive day for Ohio State Hockey, both Women's & Men's. It kind of dawned on me that on Sunday I'd mostly be finalizing my Frozen Four travel arrangements, then crashing. Or as my daughter would put it, "Chillaxing." I stuck to the plan.
Moving Forward: For the 5th Year In A Row, It's Been My Privilege To Follow A Participating Team To The Frozen Four. During The Previous Four Tournaments, I Haven't Written 3 Stars Posts. I've Simply Enjoyed The Tourney, Then Prepared a "Top Memories Of The Frozen Four" List Shortly After The Fact.
Let's Go Up To Minneapolis & Make Some Memories!
Ohio State 6
St. Lawrence 1
Prophecy Fulfilled
Asked a Friend how she thought the Regional Title Game would go. She has fine hockey mind; she's always worth listening to. Her response: St. Lawrence will be very competitive for a while. But eventually the Buckeyes will overpower the Saints and win going away. It's inevitable. The Core of the Message: Relax. We've got this. I chose to remain nervous.
Ultimately the prophecy was fulfilled. But the Saints did give some meaning to my nerves. St. Lawrence opened the scoring with a PP tally. Even after the Buckeyes successfully responded, Ohio State had only a one goal lead after two periods. What was the second period like? OSU: 22 Shots. SLU: 1 Shot. Scoring? No Scoring. The feeling? Well, we certainly do seem to be overpowering. But maybe this just isn't meant to be.
Clearly the Saints had a plan. Strong forechecker. Have a Saint Sniper lurking nearby. Create an offensive zone turnover. Crisp pass to the Sniper; Grade A scoring chance. Naturally Plan A was to have Abby Hustler do the sniping. The Saints almost pulled it off a couple of times. Happily for the home fans, the Buckeyes nipped those attempts in the bud. Had St. Lawrence been able to tie the game at 2-2, who knows?
The next problem was finally breaking through the stingy Saints defense. You know the old truism: In the biggest games, your best players have to produce. All three of the Buckeye Forwards atop the Line Chart convincingly proved that they're big game players. The trio monopolizes this edition of The Three Stars.
Three Stars Of The Game: Decidedly Unofficial & Just For Fun
St. Lawrence Honorable Mention: Aly McLeod
Saint Aly opened the scoring. Nice puck movement by the St. Lawrence PP. Didn't catch the number of the Saint who set the screen, but good on her. McLeod then focused in on some open space in the top shelf of the Buckeye goal cage, Nailed it. Congrats on a well-chosen, well-executed shot.
Ohio State Honorable Mention: Riley Brengman
Riley posted a WTF +/- Stat on Saturday. Brengman was a +6. What a game! Didn't check, but I've got to believe that's the highest total posted by a Buckeye player this year.
#3 Star: Makenna Webster, Ohio State
What's Makenna's recipe? One Part Fire Plug; Two Parts Pit Bull; and Four Parts Super Nova. Translation? Not the biggest player on the ice, but one of the sturdiest; a competitor filled with sheer determination; and one of the very brightest stars in the sky.
Webster gave us a fine performance on Saturday, assisting on the first Buckeye Goal and scoring the fourth Buckeye Goal. Overall, Makenna was +3 for the game.
#2 Star: Jocelyn Amos, Ohio State
Amos matched her Right Winger's production, scoring the third Buckeye Goal and assisting on the fifth Buckeye Goal. Overall, Jocelyn was also +3 for the game.
There's more, of course. As the first line center, Amos won 64% of her draws. That's always going to make a big difference in a game.
Perhaps Jocelyn's biggest contribution of all is the sparkling synergy she creates with her line mates.
#1 Star: Joy Dunne, Ohio State
Want a Power Forward on your team? A player that can truly overpower the opposition? A prophecy fulfiller? There's no better choice than Joy Dunne.
How 'bout that Saturday production? Dunne scored the second Buckeye Goal; assisted on third & fourth Buckeye Goals; and scored the fifth Buckeye Goal. Totals: Two goals and Two assists for a 4 point night. In terms of +/- , Joy was +4 for the game. By all rights, that should have led all players. But see Riley Brengman's Honorable Mention.
I suppose I could brag that Dunne won 100% of her face-offs. While true, that would be getting a little carried away, even for me. Joy was 1 for 1 in the face-off circle. We can leave the centering to Amos.
Congrats to Saturday's 1st Line. Big Time Players, One & All.
Confidential To PA Announcer Rick & The Buckeye Faithful:
I thoroughly enjoyed the responsive reading of Buckeye Goal. All six times!
Confidential To The Readers:
Sorry about the "slow publication." Last Saturday was a massive day for Ohio State Hockey, both Women's & Men's. It kind of dawned on me that on Sunday I'd mostly be finalizing my Frozen Four travel arrangements, then crashing. Or as my daughter would put it, "Chillaxing." I stuck to the plan.
Moving Forward: For the 5th Year In A Row, It's Been My Privilege To Follow A Participating Team To The Frozen Four. During The Previous Four Tournaments, I Haven't Written 3 Stars Posts. I've Simply Enjoyed The Tourney, Then Prepared a "Top Memories Of The Frozen Four" List Shortly After The Fact.
Let's Go Up To Minneapolis & Make Some Memories!