When Minnesota State and Ohio State last met in late October, the Mavericks took three of four points on the road from their perennial postseason nemesis, but the Buckeyes evened the score with a 3-0 win Friday at All Seasons Arena to open the new calendar year.
Both teams were playing their first game in nearly a month, but it was the No. 8 Mavericks (9-8-2, 6-7-2 WCHA) who looked the part as their winless streak was extended to five. OSU (9-8-2, 6-7-2) won all the battles early including those for loose pucks and quality scoring opportunities.
Ohio State first capitalized when Shelby Aldous fired a wrister past Minnesota State’s Brit Kehler 12:33 into the game. Erin Keys earned the goal’s only assist when she carried the puck around the Maverick net, and her pass found Aldous.
“We wanted to establish pressure and really work to retrieve the puck,” said OSU coach Jackie Barto. “I thought we did that in the first period and it really built some confidence and allowed us to forecheck.”
The Mavericks stayed in the game through a better part of the second period, due in part, to the outstanding play of Kehler. Her pair of sprawling saves on a Buckeye power play halfway through the second period kept the game at 1-0 and gave MSU a chance.
But Amber Bowman spoiled the Maverick’s hopes at 11:16 of the second frame when she capped a 3-on-1 scoring chance for OSU. Aldous and Jana Harrigan added helpers on the play, which came on the heels of the aforementioned Buckeye power play.
The Buckeyes found the net again a couple minutes later when Krysta Skarda fired a shot past Kehler for a 3-0 lead. The blast found its way through a slew of bodies along the way, hitting its mark just below the crossbar on Kehler’s stick side.
OSU outshot MSU 19-6 for the decisive second period.
“We weren’t completely satisfied with our play in the first half, so we came back here in the new year and our focus is on defense,” Bowman said. “We hope our defense is all over the ice.”
Erika Vanderveer made few challenging saves, but she was more than solid between the pipes, with a 26-save shutout. Kehler stopped 28 and took the loss.
“We just did not perform up to our ability,” Mavericks coach Jeff Vizenor said. “It’s disappointing to start the second half like that, but you just have to learn from it and come back tomorrow.”
Minnesota State will look to earn a split and take the season series in the finale tomorrow. Faceoff is scheduled for 3:07 p.m. from All Seasons Arena.
