(1) Wisconsin at (2) Ohio State
Ohio State made a statement this weekend with a pair of wins to sweep the Badgers. Special teams were key for the Buckeyes, scoring both goals on Friday and two more goals on Saturday on the power play, going 4-for-7 with the extra attacker. In the first game, Wisconsin took a 1-0 lead midway through the second thanks to a Cassie Hall power play goal. But Ohio State pushed back in the third, outshooting UW 19-3. Mira Jungåker tied the game seven minutes into the final frame and Hilda Svensson took advantage of a frankly silly penalty taken by Adéla Šapovalivová after the whistle to give OSU the lead and the win. The Buckeyes were particularly good in the final minutes, not allowing Wisconsin to hold the puck or clear the zone long enough to pull the goalie. In game two, the Badgers were flying early as Hall scored 34 seconds into the game. But Sanni Vanhanen’s goal a few minutes later on the power play evened things. Kaia Malachino batted an odd bounce in front of the net to give Ohio State a 2-1 lead 30 seconds later. Then Kate Viel sniped on the power play to score her first collegiate goal to make it 3-1 but a similarly pretty shot by Maddy Kimbrel on the ensuing play made it 3-2 at the break. Laney Potter’s power play goal in the second tied the game and things seemed to even out between the teams as the game went on. But once again the third period belonged to the Buckeyes. A miscommunication at the net led to an easy OSU goal in the opening minute for Svensson. Vanhanen scored another later and Wisconsin simply could not keep up. Ohio State outshot them 17-6 in the third and skated off with a 5-3 win and weekend sweep.
Maine at (3) Minnesota
It took the Gophers a little time to get rolling, but once the second period hit, Minnesota found their rhythm. Molly Jordan opened the scoring with a power play goal before Madison Kaiser struck to make it 2-0. Julia Scalin and Tereza Plosová scored in the third to lead Minnesota to a 4-0 win.
Bemidji State vs. (3) Minnesota
Izy Fairchild put Bemidji State up 1-0 midway through the second, but Minnesota responded as Adrianna Milani put back a rebound and Gracie Graham buried a slapshot to give the Gophers a 2-1 lead heading into the first intermission. Sarah Paul’s wrister made it 3-1. Elly Klepinger’s power play goal midway through the third cut the lead to 3-2, but Milani won a foot race to score an empty-netter to secure a 4-2 win for Minnesota.
(4) Penn State at Syracuse
Penn State outshot Syracuse 44-18 on Friday, including 25-3 in the second, but the Orange got a 40 save performance from Ava Drabyk and an overtime goal from Jocelyn Fiala to upset the Nittany Lions 5-4. The Orange were primed for this one immediately and took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission thanks to goals from Jackson Kinsler and Jordan Blouin. PSU tied the game in the second with goals from Kylie Amelkovich and Mikah Keller. Syracuse pushed ahead to start the third as Nea Tervonen scored four minutes in and Fiala added a power play goal two minutes later. But Penn State rallied again as Danica Maynard scored on the power play before the midpoint and NIcole Hall tied the game with just under three left in regulation. The Orange were patient in the extra frame and then Fiala buried a shot from midrange to secure the upset win. But the Nittany Lions got some revenge on Saturday as Hall scored twice while Sohia Ismael and Keller each lit the lamp once to help them skate away with a 4-0 win and weekend split.
(7) Northeastern at Providence
It was an odd but entertaining game on Friday as it started with each team having a goal waved off. The only goals of the game came 1:28 apart in the middle frame as Stryker Zablocki showed off her wheels both times to score unassisted short-handed goals that would prove to be the only goals of the game. It was the first time in 13 years that a NU player had tallied two short-handers in one game.
New Hampshire at (7) Northeastern
Danica Botterill had a massive game for the Wildcats, opening up the scoring to give them a 1-0 lead and adding two third-period power play goals to complete a hat trick. But Northeastern rallied twice – first with goals from Morgan Jackson, Lily McInerney and Emy McDemid to give the Huskies a 3-1 lead after two and then again late in the game when Stryker Zablocki, Molly MacCurtain and Grace Sadura each lit the lamp over a five minute span to pull away from UNH to get the 6-3 win on Sunday.
(8) St. Cloud State at (14) Colgate
There was a lot of back and forth in the first game. Madeline Palumbo scored early with a top shelf shot to give Clarkson a 1-0 lead. But St. Cloud responded 83 seconds later as Sofianna Sundelin cleaned up a scrum in front of the net on the power play. In the second, Keira Owen scored her first career goal with some nice moves to make it 2-1. Less than a minute later, Sundelin potted her second as great puck movement from St. Cloud had Brooke Davis scrambling across her crease. Linda Vocetková picked off a pass and took off to bury her first NCAA goal to give Colgate the lead for good. Chloe Goofers’ empty-netter secured the 4-2 win. In the second game, it was all Goofers on offense. Her two second-period goals were the difference-maker for Colgate. St. Cloud’s Siiri Yrjölä scored on a late delayed penalty with under three to play, but the Huskies ran out of time and as the Raiders took a 2-1 win and weekend sweep.
St. Thomas at (10) Minnesota Duluth
Despite a heavy advantage in shots for St. Thomas, this game was tied late thanks to goals from Edit Danielsson for UMD and Chloe Boreen for St. Thomas. With under a minute to play, Boreen found the net a second time with a shot that froze the defense to make it 2-1 with no time for Minnesota Duluth to mount a comeback. On Saturday, the Bulldogs got their revenge as goalie Marilou Grenier earned her first career shutout. Molly Cole’s second period goal was the decider before Rae Mayer and Josie St. Martin each added empty-netter to close out the 3-0 win.
St. Lawrence at (13) Clarkson
Kalia Pharand earned her first career shutout with 26 saves as Jessie Pellerin scored twice and Janelle Evans added a goal and an assist to carry Clarkson to a 4-0 win on Thursday. At home on Friday, Pharand had another great game and came within six seconds of a second-straight shutout. A late goal by Alexia Côté ruined that, but Pharand still earned the win and weekend sweep. Clarkson started off with a couple of pucks off the pipe before Kennedy Sisson recycled the puck on a rebound and found the back of the net to make it 1-0 Clarkson. An odd-player rush with Abby Richardson and Pellerin led to a Pellerin goal in the middle of the second to extend the lead to 2-0. Raedyn Spademan added an empty-net goal to put the Golden Knights up 3-0. Despite the late goal from SLU, Clarkson took the 3-1 win.
(15) Vermont at Franklin Pierce
It looked like UVM might be in for a long day when they rang the crossbar twice in the opening frame of their first game of the weekend. Things came together in the second as Zoe Charland scored her first career goal and then Lauren O’Hara slipped the puck in the net in the final seconds of the middle frame after some pretty moves by Stella Retrum to get her the puck to give the Catamounts a 2-0 advantage. FPU pulled their goalie and ruined the shutout in the final minute as Jillian Sano scored 6-on-5, but UVM took a 2-1 win. On Saturday, the Catamounts put up a total team win as 11 players tallied a point on four goals to take a 4-0 win and weekend sweep. Hilary Wilkin put back a rebound in the first two minutes to set the tone. Rose-Marie Brochu scored on the power play in the second and then just 11 seconds later Ezra Oien took advantage of a turnover with a shot from the slot to make it 3-0. Gracesyn Louis scored her first career goal in her first regular season game to close out the 4-0 win.