MANKATO, Minn. – The No. 13/14 Minnesota State women's hockey team welcomes No. 2 Ohio State for a weekend WCHA series at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center. Puck drop is set for 6 p.m. on Friday and 3 p.m. on Saturday. Both games will be streamed on B1G+.

Scouting the Buckeyes

Ohio State enters the weekend with a 19-3 overall record after sweeping St. Cloud State last weekend. The Buckeyes earned a 4-0 shutout on Friday before completing the sweep with a 5-1 victory on Saturday.

Ohio State currently sits second in the WCHA standings with 38 points and is ranked No. 2 in both the USA Hockey and USCHO Division I national polls. Freshman forward Hilda Svensoon leads the Buckeyes, having played in 22 games this season and collecting 38 points this season. She has 14 goals and 24 assists. Between the posts senior Hailey MacLeod leads the Buckeyes with 1.61 goals against average and a .919 save percentage. 

Recap vs. Minnesota

Minnesota State dropped a home-and-home series against Minnesota last weekend, falling 11-3 on Friday and 4-3 on Saturday.

On Friday, the Mavericks struck early as Makayla Moran scored an unassisted goal just 1:54 into the game. Minnesota responded later in the period and used a five-goal first frame to take control. Ayla Puppe added a second-period goal off an assist from Whitney Tuttle, while Zoe Lopez recorded a shorthanded goal in the third. With the tally, Lopez now ranks sixth nationally in shorthanded goals.

Puppe led the Mavericks with five shots on goal. Lopez finished with a goal and three shots, Moran tallied one goal on two shots, and Tuttle added an assist.

Saturday saw Minnesota score twice late in the first period before Moran cut the deficit to 2-1 at 18:42. Minnesota State carried that momentum into the second period as Ava Guillemette tied the game at 1:33 and later gave the Mavericks a 3-2 lead at 3:52, with assists from Moran and Lopez on both goals.

Minnesota responded with an even-strength goal and a late power-play goal to regain the lead. Despite sustained pressure in the third period, the Mavericks were unable to find the equalizer. Hailey Hansen made 34 saves as Minnesota State finished with 34 shots on net.

Despite the results, Moran had a strong weekend, collecting two goals and two assists.

Series History

Minnesota State and Ohio State have met 114 times in program history, with the Buckeyes holding an 88-15-11 advantage. The teams last met on Nov. 14–15, when Ohio State earned wins of 5-2 and 7-3.