Re: WCHA Thread V
Final Score From Friday, February 6th
Ohio State 3
Minnesota State 2
Perfect Response
Sometimes you give a solid effort, but wind up facing a little adversity. That was certainly the case Friday night in the Ice Rink. The Buckeyes kept the Mavericks penned up in their own end for much of the game, outshooting the visitors 34-14. But the Mavs never gave up, finally scoring two third period goals on the counter-attack. The first came just 19 seconds after the conclusion of a successful PK. The second was the shortie that knotted the score at 2 with just 4:07 left in regulation time.
The Buckeyes could have gotten frustrated and lost their cool. Or, they could have lost their nerve and gone into a shell. Instead, they had a perfect response. They resumed the power play with intense focus, and wound up bagging the GWG just 39 seconds later. The decisive sequence was thrilling to behold. You could just feel the Buckeyes' steely determination to will the puck into the net.
The 3 Stars of the Game: Decidedly Unofficial and Just For Fun
Honorable Mention: Kathleen Rogan, Minnesota State
No spectacular stats dictate this selection. OK, Kathleen did put the first Maverick scoring play in motion, bagging the second assist. But equally relevant is the senior leadership #13 provides. Whenever she's on the ice she keeps her teammates calm; makes them better. It's been a pleasure watching Rogan compete over the years.
#3 Star: Kendall Curtis, Ohio State
Kendall opened the scoring with a fine shot from the high slot. Curtis fed
Kari Schmitt the puck on Kari's second effort goal. Nice all around game from Kendall.
#2 Star: Nicole Schammel, Minnesota State
Nicole provided the finishing touch on both Maverick goals. In both cases she opted to go high. On the first, she beat the Buckeye keeper to the upper right hand corner. The second was a tough-to-watch melon shot that went off the goalie's helmet and wound up in the back of the net. But hey. In a game where quality shots were hard to come by for the Mavericks, Schammel got the job done twice.
#1 Star: Lauren Spring, Ohio State
Lauren's blazing slap shot won the game for Ohio State. With crisp passing around the perimeter, the play went
Kepler-
Ranahan-Spring. Lauren launched her rocket from the right face-off circle.
Spring also played a key role on the second Buckeye goal. Keeping a Maverick defender fully occupied and the Maverick goalie more than a little distracted, Lauren's hard work opened the door for Kari Schmitt to finish.
Next Up: The Saturday Afternoon Rematch. Face-Off at 2:07 PM EST.
Postscript: During tonight's game the Buckeyes took two minor penalties for a total of four minutes. Because you wanted to know.