Re: WCHA Thread III
Final From Friday, January 27th
Ohio State 6
North Dakota 2
Huge Effort Yields Huge Victory
This series has been circled on my calendar for a while. Came to the rink pretty fired up. Obviously the team was on the same page. Three solid periods of Buckeye Hockey yielded an impressive win over a fine North Dakota team.
Among other things, this was a night of redemption. No matter what happens the rest of the way, that awful weekend in Grand Forks last October has been neutralized.
For better or worse, there's not much time to celebrate. Tonight's win just makes tomorrow's game all the bigger. But this was a great night to be a Buckeye.
3 Stars of the Game: Decidedly Unofficial and Just For Fun
Ohio State Honorable Mention: Danielle Gagne
Danielle was absolutely on fire in the first period, and was central to setting the tone for the game. Scoring on a breakaway and drawing 2 separate penalties, Gagne led a high energy effort that kept UND on its heals for much of the night.
North Dakota Honorable Mention: UND Power Play
The visitors from the Peace Garden State probably didn't like much about tonight's contest, but they certainly don't have to make any apologies for their power play. The Green and White went 2 for 6 with the man advantage, employing both good puck movement and long range shooting. The big names found their way onto the scoresheet with power play tallies.
Michelle Karvinen and
Jocelyn Lamoureux bagged the goals.
Josefine Jakobsen assisted on both plays;
Monique Lamoureux-Kolls had the primary assist on her Twin's tally. The talent on the power play is obvious; the lesson is two-fold. First, shutting out this group 5x5 is an outstanding accomplishment. Second, the Buckeyes would be well advised to keep penalties to a minimum in the rematch.
#3 Star: Kari Schmitt, Ohio State; and Sara Schmitt, Ohio State (tie)
We've got sisters too! The "sisterly synergy" paid dividends tonight, as the Schmitts went +2 and +3 respectively. Also, Kari had her first goal as a Buckeye, bombing in a shot from the right point.
#2 Star: OSU Power Play
Sometimes there just aren't enough stars to go around. The power play had an outstanding night, going 3 for 7. Where to start? After an even strength assist,
Paige Semenza opened the power play onslaught.
Natalie Spooner had a pair of PP goals, including the rocket that completed the evening's scoring.
Hokey Langan's two PP assists gave her 100 career points as a Buckeye. Normally any of these performances would merit an individual star. But this was a special night. So Semenza, Spooner and Langan will have to settle for group recognition. Oh, and North Dakota would also be well advised to keep penalties to a minimum in the rematch!
#1 Star: Laura McIntosh, Ohio State
With tonight's three assists, Mac reached 160 career points as a Buckeye, and joined Jana Harrigan as the program's all-time scoring leader. One suspects that it won't take too long to get the tiebreaking point.
Each of the assists was memorable. On the first, Laura pulled out a pitching wedge and lobbed a pass over the UND defense. Gagne's successful breakaway finished the play. On the second, she sent a cross ice laser pass to Spooner, who pounded the puck home. On the third, Mac paused before the face-off to verbally settle down the troops. (Could there be some coaching in her future plans?
) After the draw was won, we saw the trademark McIntosh dangling before she delegated the rest of the play to Langan and Spooner.
Up Next: Rematch with North Dakota Saturday Afternoon at 4:07 PM. Fasten Your Seatbelts!
Be that as it may, you played a strong game.
