The Minnesota Golden Gophers women’s hockey team absolutely exploded on Friday, taking down the previously top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes with a dominant 6-2 victory that nobody outside of Minneapolis saw coming. Heading into the series, the Gophers were a total mystery, sitting at 4-0 but with all those wins coming against Bemidji State, who finished dead last in the WCHA last year. Ohio State, on the other hand, had already carved up #5 Penn State and #2 Wisconsin, so they knew what a tough game looked like. Well, now everyone knows what Minnesota brings.
Friday Night: A Full-Blown Buckeye Beatdown
Friday was a statement game, plain and simple. Freshman Adriani Milani set the tone just 14 seconds into the game, intercepting an OSU pass and burying her fifth goal of the season. Talk about an opener! Madison Kaiser and Chloe Primerano quickly piled on two more goals, sending the Gophers into the first intermission up 3-0. Milani struck again minutes into the second period to make it 4-0, and it looked like a total runaway. Ohio State tried to claw back, cashing in on a major penalty to Kaiser to score twice, cutting the lead to 4-2. But it wasn’t enough. UConn transfer Ashley Allard notched her first goal in maroon and gold, pushing it to 5-2, and Kaiser slammed the door shut with her second of the night, rounding out a monster 6-2 win. Hannah Clark was solid, stopping 26 shots in the victory. The Gophers showed they are absolutely for real.
Saturday’s Rematch and the New National Picture
Saturday afternoon was a whole different animal, a furious back-and-forth battle. The Buckeyes roared out of the gate, scoring twice in the first period and adding another early in the second to grab a 3-0 lead. But these Gophers don’t quit. Freshman Maddie McCullough started the comeback, scoring just 2:30 after Ohio State’s third goal. Sophomore Avery Hovland then got her first goal of the season, cutting the lead to 3-2. With just 4:45 left in the period, Emma Kreisz evened it up, taking a sweet pass from Teresa Plosova and burying it. The teams traded goals one more time before the period ended, with Sarah Paul finding the net with just 24 seconds left to make it 4-4. Ohio State even pulled their goalie, Genny Klein, for Taylor Kressin in the third, and it initially backfired when the Gophers took a 5-4 lead on a Paul tip of an Allard pass. Unfortunately, the Buckeyes rallied, scoring twice in 42 seconds to grab a 6-5 lead they would hold onto for the win. Clark made 40 saves in the loss, but it was an insane effort.
Despite the Saturday loss, the entire nation saw what Minnesota did to the previously “impervious” Buckeyes. When the new polls dropped on Monday, Minnesota jumped to #2 in the nation, leapfrogging Wisconsin. Ohio State held onto the #1 spot, but they know who’s breathing down their neck. Sarah Paul had a huge weekend with four points and a pair of goals, earning WCHA Forward of the Week honors. The Gophers will host Lindenwood in a Thursday/Friday series this weekend. This team is legit, and we’re just getting started.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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