The No. 11 University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team fell 3-2 Saturday afternoon in a special teams showdown against No. 1 Ohio State University, who netted all three of its goals with special teams units on the ice.
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It was the Bulldogs and not the Buckeyes who struck first inside the OSU Ice Rink in Columbus, Ohio 7:45 into the first period when Josie St. Martin fed the puck from center ice to Ava MacLeod, and MacLeod did the rest, ripping a shot from just inside the right circle to put UMD up 1-0.Â
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That lead held until a Bulldog power play turned into OSU's first goal of the afternoon at 3:05. Buckeye Jocelyne Amos, who had the shorthanded tally netted a second on the power play at 7:11, and OSU tacked on a third off the power play at 16:14. It was OSU's fifth power play of weekend – the Buckeyes scored five of their six goals on the weekend with an extra skater and all six on special teams,
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Rae Mayer buried her second of the weekend and fifth of the season at 3:51 of the third to pull the Bulldogs back within a single goal at 3-2, but while UMD outshot OSU 9-5 in the third period, there were no other goals to be found.
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The Buckeyes outshot UMD 30-16 in the game but the Bulldogs got brilliant goaltending from freshman goaltender Marilou Grenier, who had 27 saves, the third most of her young Bulldog career.Â
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UMD (6-6-0, 3-5-0) will stay on the road in Western Collegiate Hockey Association play when it heads to Mankato, Minn. to face Minnesota State University, Mankato. The Friday-Saturday series gets underway Friday at 3:00 p.m.
