Re: Unofficial Three Stars of the Game
Re: Unofficial Three Stars of the Game
Final From Saturday, February 22nd
Ohio State 3
North Dakota 1
Satisfying Sweep; Sweet Senior Sendoff
Did these Seniors present themselves well? Sure thing. Like a
Madison Avenue
Marcotting Machine. It wasn't always easy, of course. Ohio State is a big place. A brand new freshman can feel like
Allis in Wonderland. But this group matured beautifully. Take the goalies and their Mona
Lisa quality saves. Those two were never caught
Knapping, and that's a fact. Want firepower?
Annie's got a gun. Can't say for sure if
Svedin really translates to "your Swede." But either way we're awfully proud she's ours. Finally, how 'bout that #4? She scraps like an
Ally cat and always knocks the
Tarr out of the puck.
As for the games themselves, I went into the weekend thinking split. Oh me of little faith. Buckeyes sweep, holding a potent North Dakota team to a single goal on the series.
Three Stars of the Game: Decidedly Unofficial and Just For Fun
North Dakota Honorable Mention: (tie) Amy Menke and Sam LaShomb
About that UND goal: Sam held the puck in at the right point, and feathered a pass to Amy in the slot. The patient Menke the slipped the puck into the net for the game's opening goal. Certainly that tally got UND off on the right foot, and made OSU's task all the more challenging.
Ohio State Honorable Mention: (tie) Danielle Gagne and Taylor Kuehl
The Kuehl/Gagne/Tarr was just on fire Saturday. Taylor's centering pass created the first Buckeye goal. Crashing the net on third tally may not have resulted in an assist, but it certainly provided a helpful distraction. Danielle started the play on third goal with a perfectly placed, perfectly paced long range pass to Ally. After a double give and go, Gagne zipped a rising shot that got in just under the crossbar. More on Tarr momentarily.
#3 Star: Chelsea Knapp, Ohio State
Chelsea stood tall and proud today, turning away 30 of 31 shots. UND came hard; in one wild flurry, Knapp was literally unmasked. Unmasked, but unscored upon.
#2 Star: Kendall Curtis, Ohio State
Kendall's goal was both the game winner and a game changer. And OMG, what a shot. The play started innocently enough, with North Dakota attempting a breakout pass. But when the puck took a funny bounce off the boards, Curtis pounced with cat-like quickness. Whirling around counter-clockwise, Kendall sent a laser beam into the upper right hand corner past the startled UND goalie.
#1 Star: Ally Tarr, Ohio State
Just had to save top honors for a Senior. On the first goal, both Tarr and Gagne both crashed the net. Good things happen when you go to the net. When Kuehl's centering pass arrived, Ally did the honors; steering the puck toward, then into the net. On the insurance goal, Tarr carried the puck from the blue line into the right corner. As noted above, it took a double give and go to overcome the stubborn North Dakota defense. The resulting play was both gritty and beautiful.
With today's production, Ally has 103 career points, including 47 goals and 56 assists. Her current season total of 29 points (10 goals, 19 assists) is a team high. The points just keep on coming!
Next Up: Playoff Series With UMD. Best of Luck, Buckeyes! As for the 3 Stars, we'll see you next year.
