Emma Maltais scored a power-play goal in the second period and assisted on Madison Field's goal in the third as the Ohio State women's hockey team handed the Gophers their first loss of the season Saturday, winning 3-2 before an announced 1,619 at Ridder Arena.
Nicole Schammel and Taylor Williamson scored goals for the third-ranked Gophers (6-1-1, 4-1-1 WCHA), who settled for a weekend split with the fourth-ranked Buckeyes (6-2, 3-1). Sydney Scobee made 24 saves.
"I wish any of those four posts we hit would have gone in, but unfortunately it wasn't meant to be tonight," Gophers coach Brad Frost said. "I'm proud of our team, I'm proud of our effort, and we'll learn from it and move on."
After Ohio State's Sophie Jaques and Schammel traded goals in the first period, Maltais' goal at 12 minutes, 12 seconds of the second period gave Ohio State a 2-1 lead, and Field made it a two-goal lead 3:54 into the third. Andrea Brandli made 40 saves for the Buckeyes.
Williamson got the Gophers within a goal when she scored her third goal of the weekend off a pass from Amy Potomak with 2:32 to play, but they could get no closer against Brandli, who made 15 saves in the first period, 16 in the second and nine in the third. She stopped 44 shots in a 3-0 loss to the Gophers on Friday night.
Ohio State went 3-1-1 against the Gophers last season, including a 3-2 victory at Ridder Arena last October. Before that game, the Buckeyes last won at Minnesota on Jan. 12, 2007.
"Not the result that we wanted, but again, I'm proud of our team and the fight that they had," Frost said. "We just played a really good hockey game."
NEWS SERVICES
