Re: Ohio State Buckeyes 2019-2020: Muzzling All Detractors
Final Score From Friday, November 29th
Ohio State 3
Cornell 1
Thanksgiving Hockey Feast Off To A Strong Start
On opening night of the Thanksgiving series, the players and coaches served up an appealing array of appetizers and side dishes. The obvious culinary talent pleased the hockey palate, and suggests an intriguing main course is yet to come. A sampling:
1. Like many of today's goalies, Cornell keeper
Lindsay Browning aggressively takes away the low shot and dares you to beat her high. The Buckeye snipers proved they can hit the top shelf. In fact, OSU won the game with that. Can Browning adapt?
2. Cornell elected to play a heavy game against Buckeye Star
Jincy Dunne, particularly on the offensive zone forecheck. Mixed results. Did Jincy occasionally burn the pressure? Yes. Did Cornell succussfully disrupt Dunne's rhythm? Yes, to a certain extent. Were costly turnovers caused? No, not really. Did Cornell get under Jincy's skin a bit? The 20:00 minute mark of the 3rd Period says Yes.
Round Two will be fascinating. If Dunne can harness the anger into a focused response, Cornell will regret their strategy. But if the Big Red can get that costly turnover, their approach may be vindicated. Keep your dinner utensils at the ready!
Three Stars Of The Game: Decidedly Unofficial & Just For Fun
Cornell Honorable Mention: Kristin O'Neill
Determined and talented, Kristin was the only Cornell player to find the OSU net. And it took a second effort shot to accomplish it. The scoring play began with a blocked shot by linemate
Amy Curlew.
Jaime Bourbannais broke out of the zone, and moved the puck ahead to O'Neill. Kristen did the rest.
Ohio State Honorable Mention: Gabby Rosenthal
Gabby was Friday's Face-off Star, winning 11 of 17. Included in that total were some key wins down the stretch.
#4 Star: Madison Bizal, Ohio State
Thanksgiving is a special occasion. Since we've added a leaf or two to the dining room table, there's room for a 4th Star. 5 blocked shots say that Madison is more than deserving; that number led all players. Just as importantly, Bizal's insurance goal was huge. Obviously it made closing out the victory a more manageable task. But it also reinforced the message that if you give the Buckeyes the top shelf, they're more than able to take it. Madison's precision shot caught some metal on the way into the net.
#3 Star: Micah Zandee-Hart, Cornell
Micah is tall & strong, yet also quick & skilled. A protypical Big Red player. And to my eye, the engine behind the Cornell Defense. No disrespect to to the other members of the 'D' Corps, but how in the heck is the Zandee-Hart/Nealy duo anything other than the top pair? Perhaps a little deception on the line chart?
But if no, then the Big Red have two top pairs, period. 4 shots on goal and 2 blocked shots are just a little taste of the strong performance turned in by Micah.
#2 Star: Andrea Braendli, Ohio State
In a tight game, big saves can make an enormous difference. Cornell created some high quality chances, but Andrea was equal to the task. In one case, Braendli slid across the crease to nullify what looked a certain goal on a back door play. Stuffing a 3rd Period breakaway speaks for itself. In the end, Andrea had 22 saves on 23 shots, including the two gems mentioned.
#1 Star: Emma Maltais, Ohio State
When the situation calls for S.W.A.T. team accuracy, Emma's the one for the job. When Maltais created the equalizing goal, she provided the turning point of the game. On that first tally,
Liz Schepers fed OSU #22 for a
Bruno Blast. Though tangled up with Big Red defender -- pun intended in all 3 respects -- Emma found a way to redirect Lisa's shot into the net.
The Maltais GWG goal? A spectacular piece of marksmanship. The long-range laser beam went just under the crossbar, into the upper right hand corner.
Up Next: Thanksgiving Hockey 2019: The Rest of the Dinner.
