Photo courtesy of @OhioStateWHKY on Twitter
All it took was 60 minutes of gameplay, a full overtime period, and seven rounds of shootout hockey.
After bumpy ice conditions caused several Wisconsin women’s ice hockey skaters to lose their pucks during shootout efforts, Ohio State graduate forward Jenna Buglioni buried the 14th shot in the shootout round to lift the Buckeyes to a victory after a 3-3 tie against the Badgers at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Saturday.
Looking to erase the embarrassment of a 6-0 loss to the No. 1 Badgers on Thursday in Madison, Wisc., the No. 2 Buckeyes came out firing with a goal 49 seconds in from freshman forward Jordyn Petrie – her 10th of the season.
“(Petrie’s goal) was big for us,” Buglioni said. “The first few minutes of the period and the last few are the most critical. We have to know the time on the clock, so for us to strike right away kind of helped us settle into the game.”
Wisconsin soon responded later in the first period with two goals of its own, one from junior defenseman Caroline Harvey and junior forward Kirsten Simms at 5:52 and 10:01, respectively.
Going empty on their next 28 shots, Ohio State needed former Badger and graduate forward Makenna Webster to provide the equalizer at 18:20 in the second to send the game to a 2-2 tie heading into the third period, a goal that could have only brought the Buckeyes within one after a near-Badger goal was waved off earlier in the second period.
To lead off the third, Ohio State sophomore forward Joy Dunne sent in a goal at 2:38 to give the Buckeyes their first lead since the opening seconds of the first period.
Then, things got interesting.
At 3:24 in the third, Simms committed a body check, sending her to the penalty box. Eight seconds after Simms’ return to the ice, Wisconsin junior forward Laila Edwards was called for another body checking penalty, giving Ohio State nearly four-straight minutes of power-play action – a duration of time that did not see the Buckeyes score.
“(Not scoring) is hard, but if you actually watch, the power play was executed beautifully,” Ohio State head coach Nadine Muzerall said. “We just didn’t finish, and that’s where we need to get it done to kind of put that nail in the coffin. It is hard. But again, we talked about character.
“It’s very tough to play a game in the environment we were in and against an opponent that just manhandled us not too long ago. Even though we didn’t score, we learned a lot about our team of (how to keep) leaning in and keep persevering.”
Wisconsin kept its chances at victory alive with a goal at 14:17 in the third period from sophomore forward Kelly Gorbatenko, bringing the score to 3-3, a tally that would stand through the overtime period due to rough ice conditions causing the puck to often lose its steam on the ice.
“Every time you have the No. 1 and 2 team in the country going at it, when there’s that much ice, it showcases a lot of skill and a lot of speed,” Buglioni said. “So, it was definitely back and forth. We had our chances, and they had a few chances.”
Following the overtime period, eight Buckeyes and four Badgers all attempted shots to try and pick up a point in Western Collegiate Hockey Association play.
After three pucks were fumbled by Wisconsin skaters due to ice that had not been resurfaced in over 23 minutes of gametime, skating towards Wisconsin sophomore netminder Ava McNaughton, Buglioni scored a five-hole shot that gave Ohio State the shootout win in what is now a storied rivalry in collegiate women’s hockey.
“It didn’t matter if I got that tap, I was going to be happy and try to put in my best effort. But, it’s all about our team and what’s going to be the best for us to succeed and try to get the win,” Buglioni said.
Even with the loss to Wisconsin (20-1-1, 14-1-1 WCHA) earlier in the week, the Buckeyes (13-5-3, 8-5-3 WCHA) used the trip to Chicago to solidify the state of Ohio as a hockey state.
“I think it’s great that we’re putting Ohio on the map in terms of hockey, and I know we’ve done that for a little while now, but it’s just hard to kind of feel like you’re always grinding and grinding to prove hockey’s good in Ohio. It’s difficult, but that’s why we like it. We don’t want anything that’s just so easy, right?,” Muzerall said.
Ohio State next hosts Bemidji State in Columbus at the Ohio State Ice Rink on Friday and Saturday.
