Columbus, Ohio. --- The Minnesota State women's hockey team could not complete the comeback bid in game one of the WCHA Quarterfinals against the #5 Ohio State Buckeyes, dropping the game 4-2 on Friday at the OSU Ice Rink.
 
The Buckeyes took control early on in the first period, scoring within the first two minutes of puck drop. Freshman winger Jenn Gardiner took a shot near the blue line and the puck snuck through traffic and by the screened freshman netminder Calla Frank at the 1:27 mark. Ohio State lengthened the lead at the 12:17 mark when sophomore blueliner Sophie Jaques turned a turnover into a goal with a wrister from the top of the left dot. The Mavericks trailed the Buckeyes 2-0 after the first period of play with OSU also leading 10-4 in shots on goal.
 
The Mavericks stormed back to tie the game up in the second period, scoring two goals on eight shots on net in the middle frame. At the 9:06 mark, senior captain Emily Antony finished a two-on-one opportunity with junior center Brittyn Fleming to cut the deficit in half. Antony went top shelf from the left hash mark on sophomore netminder Andrea Braendli for her seventh goal of the season. Sophomore blueliner Anna Wilgren scored the equalizer for Minnesota State at the 14:35 mark. Wilgren's sixth goal of the season came from the point and into the top right corner of the net. The Buckeyes continued to lead 23-12 in shots on goal at the second intermission.

Special teams decided the third period and the game as Ohio State scored two power play goals to win game one 4-2. At the 5:37 mark, junior winger Emma Maltais scored the first power play goal after being found alone on the left dot. The final goal came at the 14:04 mark as junior center Liz Schepers was able to push the loose puck in right next to the right post.

Freshman Calla Frank (6-7-3) made 36 saves in her first collegiate postseason start and it was the first time where she started two games in a row for the Mavericks.

The Mavericks were outshot by the Buckeyes by a 40-23 margin. Minnesota State went zero-for-one on the power play, while Ohio State converted on both chances with the man advantage.

Antony's goal in the second period brought her career point total up to 70, making her one of nine Mavericks to collect 70 or more points in their careers. Senior winger Sofia Poinar was the only Maverick to collected multiple points in the game with two assists.
 
Now standing with a 11-19-6 record, the Mavericks must win game two of the WCHA Quarterfinals to keep their season alive. The win or go home game against Ohio State will begin tomorrow at 3:07 p.m. ET in the OSU Ice Rink.

Head coach John Harrington commented following the game.