MADISON — It was a tale of two halves on Friday night as the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes rallied to down Wisconsin 3-1.
The Badgers came out flying, dominating possession and outshooting OSU 19-2 it was the Buckeyes’ lowest shot total in a period this season and the most shots on goal in a frame that Ohio State had faced in any other period this season. Raygan Kirk made all 19 saves and the Buckeyes added 10 blocks in front of her to keep Wisconsin off the board.
“It could have changed the complete outcome of the game if she’s not making those saves in the beginning and the third period. She’s our backbone and that’s what we need from a goaltender as we push towards the playoffs,” Ohio State coach Nadine Muzerall said of Kirk.
The home team failed to score on the power play that carried into the beginning of the second, but lit the lamp shortly afterwards as Anna Wilgren found Laila Edwards for a long distance pass, catching Ohio State while they changed lines. Edwards, Cassie Hall and Maddie Wheeler raced in against one defender and Edwards found Wheeler, who handled the puck around Kirk and backhanded it in to give Wisconsin the 1-0 lead.
“We thought they were going to come out flying and we just needed to get our feet under us. I think it showed a lot of our athletic maturity of not giving up and pushing. When we started to play more of our game and be more aggressive, we started to control the game,” said Muzzerall.
Ohio State found their footing as the second progressed, holding the zone longer and finding more chances on net. By the midpoint of the game, they were back in control. The Badgers had just one shot on net for the rest of the period and barely managed five more in the third. OSU outshot Wisconsin 32-10 over the 2nd two periods.
“It’s a game of momentum sometimes. One team can have momentum early on and then it can switch,” said Badger coach Mark Johnson.
“The big thing for me is at this time of year you’ve got to be able to play 60 minutes. You can’t play part of a game real well. When you’re playing against the quality opponents we’re going to be facing the rest of the year, it’s a situation where it’s 60 minutes,” said Johnson.
The Buckeyes tied the game with just more than four minutes in the period when Lauren Bernard jumped in front of Kirsten Simms to intercept Anna Wilgren’s pass. She fed Kiara Zanon, who backhanded it past Wisconsin goalie Jane Gervais.
Ohio State took the lead less than two minutes later when a clearance pass ended up on the stick of former Badger Makenna Webster. She walked the puck in and did not miss, putting OSU up 2-0.
Overall, Wisconsin has not had much success against OSU lately, losing 9 of the last 11 games. One win came in overtime on the final Friday of the regular season last year. The other came in the 2023 National Championship game.
The two teams will meet again on Saturday at 8 pm central. The game will be televised live on Big Ten Network.
