Ohio State takes three points from Beavers, Raelyn LaRocque has goal and assist Saturday
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio State women's hockey team collected three points in a Western Collegiate Hockey Association series after skating to a 2-2 tie Saturday at John S. Glas Fieldhouse in Bemidji, Minn. After a scoreless 5-minute overtime, the Beavers won the following shootout by a 2-1 mark to pick up two points in the conference standings.
Ohio State (1-2-3, 1-2-1-0 WCHA) scored twice in the second period for a 2-0 lead, but Bemidji State (1-4-1, 1-2-1-1) added two of its own in the third, including an extra-skater goal with just 46 seconds remaining in regulation.
After a scoreless first period, the Buckeyes tallied two quick goals by the senior captains halfway through the second. Raelyn LaRocque opened the scoring at 9:01 with her first goal of the season. She was assisted by rookie Minttu Tuominen and sophomore Melissa Feste, who both picked up their third helpers of the year.
Rachel Davis added the Buckeyes' second goal at 11:59 while on the power play, also her first of the season. Sophomore Teal Bishop and LaRocque set up the goal for their second and fifth assists, respectively.
Bemidji State came back in the third period, erasing the shutout 15:39 into the stanza when Emily Erickson scored unassisted.
As time was winding down, the Beavers pulled their goalie Alana McElhinney for an extra skater - a move that proved successful just seconds later when MacKenzie Thurston evened the score at 2-all with an assist by Erika Wheelhouse at 19:14.
The shootout opened with a goal by sophomore Kim Theut, but was evened when BSU's Erin Cody also scored. After two rounds without a goal, Erickson netted the shootout win in the fourth round.
Rookie goaltender Chelsea Knapp made 24 saves in the game and is 1-2-3 this season. McElhinney (0-1-1) had 30 saves for Bemidji State. The Buckeyes were 1-of-6 on the power play and a perfect 5-of-5 on the penalty kill.
Ohio State will next be in action Oct. 23-24 in Madison, Wis., to face the defending NCAA champ and No. 6-ranked Wisconsin Badgers in the WCHA series. Both games begin at 7:07 p.m. (CT) Friday and Saturday at the Kohl Center.
Game Notes:
- Ohio State moves to 2-1 all-time in WCHA shootouts after they were introduced last season to determine overtime league contests.
- Raelyn LaRocque and Minttu Tuominen each had a goal and two assists for three-point weekends. LaRocque leads the team with five assists.
- The Buckeyes have already played in three overtime games just six games into the 2009-10 season. Ohio State has set the NCAA record for overtime games twice with 10.
- Ohio State's power play is operating at 25 percent (9-of-36).
