Re: WCHA Thread V
Final Score From Friday, October 31st
St. Cloud State 4
Ohio State 2
Individual Huskie Tricks Earn The Treat
The Buckeye Defense largely shut the Huskies down, limiting St. Cloud to 15 shots on goal. There was little sustained pressure on the Buckeye net; but some outstanding individual plays did the trick for the dogged visitors. The Huskie fans who traveled to Columbus certainly enjoyed the treat. Three unassisted goals is not the usual fare.
Being that the game was played on Halloween, you might think St. Cloud employed some black magic to get the win. Instead they left the usual black jerseys home, unveiling a classy new red design. Congrats to the visitors, both for the win and the sharp new look.
The 3 Stars of the Game: Decidedly Unofficial and Just For Fun
St. Cloud Honorable Mention: Audrey Hanmer
The Senior blueliner was strong on 'D', as she has been all 4 seasons. No surprise there. But Audrey also bagged one of the more interesting empty netters you'll ever see. For one thing it was long. Shooting from deep in her own zone, the shot must have been close to 200 feet. Lobbing the puck out trouble, it landed in the Buckeye end near the wing boards, then magically turned toward the net. So maybe there was just a little Halloween hocus pocus involved.
Ohio State Honorable Mention: Julia McKinnon
Julia has always been a persistent player, but this season she's been absolutely relentless. It paid off again on the Buckeyes' first goal. On a play when most everyone relaxed, thinking the sequence was over, McKinnon found the still-loose puck and jabbed it into the net.
#3 Star: Melani Moylan, Ohio State
Melani was a forechecking demon Friday night, but this was no Halloween costume. Moylan has become increasingly effective putting pressure on opponents' breakouts. Fittingly she was rewarded an opportunity to tap in her first goal of the season, this time with linemates
Katie Matheny and
Danielle Gagne doing the set-up work.
#2 Star: Julie Friend, St. Cloud State
As I'm sure Julie would be the first to acknowledge, she was a little shaky on the two first period goals. But when the good ones face a little adversity, they come back twice as strong. That was certainly Friend's method of operation, as she shut down the Buckeye shooters the rest of the way. Julie finished with 43 saves on 45 shots, giving her to team the opportunity for the comeback win. Oh, that new logo on the goalie's jersey? Could be that the SCSU team manager had to stay up a little late Friday doing a few repairs. The well-positioned Friend made sure her crest got in the way of plenty of pucks. There's not a lot to shoot at when Julie's on.
#1 Star: Molly Illikainen, St. Cloud State
Pretty easy choice; Molly both started the Huskie comeback and netted the GWG. On the initial goal, she slammed home the puck from the slot. Doesn't sound that hard you say?
Jenna Redford started the play with a centering pass from behind the net. Complicating matters, the puck appeared to glance off the skate of
Mackenzie Johnson. (power forward from Monticello, MN) Illikainen reacted instantly to the change in direction, making a challenging play look easy.
The winning goal was all Molly, coming on the PK. Defending up high, she stole the puck and split the two Buckeyes at the point. From there she rushed the length of the ice, finishing the play with a nice little backhand move. Certainly the whole SCSU Penalty Kill Unit deserves a ton a credit, successfully killing off 4 minors and a major. But as a CBJ fan would put it, it was Illikainen who carried the flag.
Next Up: Halloween's over; time for some Ghostbusting. The rematch faces off at 1:07 PM.
