Ohio State set for women's hockey semifinal against powerful, versatile Northeastern
DULUTH, Minn. − The Ohio State women’s hockey team looks to take the final two steps in defending its national championship title this weekend in the Frozen Four. The Buckeyes' first obstacle is Northeastern, who they’ll face in a semifinal at 3:30 p.m. Friday. The game will stream live on ESPN+.
Both Northeastern and Ohio State are making their third straight Frozen Four appearances. The Buckeyes enter the weekend as the No. 1 seed and have held the top spot in the polls for most of the year. But being at top means that every opponent is looking to knock them off and give them their very best outing. That makes returning to the final weekend of play even more special, said coach Nadine Muzerall.
It also makes her even more eager to hoist the national championship trophy again.
“I’m really competitive, so I want to win all the time, and I'm sure my athletes are the same.," she said. "It's like adrenaline. You have a passion to want to win all the time. That’s what's fueling me and going through my soul is just to win. I think that bleeds into [my players]. We are hungry to win it. I told them, ‘A lot of teams can win a title, but can you defend it?’ I’m hungry for another one.”
These teams have played each other 12 times, though never in the NCAA Tournament. OSU holds a 7-3-2 record against the Huskies, but the last meeting was in 2006. However, not having played the Huskies or sharing any common opponents doesn’t daunt the Buckeyes.
Muzerall said the Buckeyes have watched a lot of tape to learn Northeastern’s tendencies and look for places they can find opportunities. Defender Sophie Jaques said that while the team studies their opponent, they’re more focused on themselves.
“When it comes to this time of year, building off of the momentum we've had all year is really important and sticking with our system to the game we play best," she said. "Sticking to what we know best and playing our game I think is what's going to allow us to be successful in this upcoming game."
The Buckeyes will be focused on shutting down Northeastern’s top line of Alina Müller, Chloé Aurard and Maureen Murphy. Müller joins Jaques as a top-three finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award as top player in NCAA Division I women’s hockey. Muzerall said she and her staff have warned their players that this might be the most talented offensive line they’ve faced all season.
On the other end of the ice, Huskies’ goalie Gwyn Philips was named Hockey Commissioners Association Goalie of the Year on Thursday. Northeastern leads the country in team defense, allowing only 0.86 goals per game and was scored on more than two times just once all season.
“We know that we're up against a fantastic opponent and Northeastern has a lot of offense, one of the best defenses in the country, one of the best penalty kills and really great goaltending and coaching," Muzerall said. "It's going to be a battle of 200 feet of hockey. We're excited for the challenge and hungry to defend.”
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State set for women's hockey semifinal against powerful, versatile Northeastern
