No. 6 UMD women’s hockey opens up WCHA play with No. 2 Ohio State

DULUTH, MN. (Northern News Now) - After a series sweep, where the University of Minnesota Duluth women’s hockey team outscored Long Island University 10-0, they must prepare for a tougher matchup in the weekend ahead.

The #2 overall Ohio State (OSU) Buckeyes are just ranked under the University of Wisconsin-Madison after a top-10 matchup in their opening season series.

The Buckeyes split with 3rd-ranked Colgate, losing 2-3 on Friday before winning in overtime 3-2.

UMD went 1-4 against OSU last season, but each game ended in a one-score game with two going into overtime.

The last meeting was in the 2023 Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) Final Face-Off Semifinals when the Bulldogs fell to OSU 2-1.

Even with the recent play against OSU, head coach Maura Crowell knows it’s another conference game.

“Sometimes ignorance is bliss, I don’t think we need to talk about it more than we talk about any other opponents. This is WCHA play. Obviously, conference points are really important, It’s a little more physical when we’re in league (play),” said Crowell.

With the week ahead of them the team is preparing for the Buckeyes all week just like they do any other week of the season.

“We don’t go into this weekend any differently than we do other weekends, we prepare the exact same way, we have the same amount of practices, We have the same mindset and we just want to be at the top and we want to be better than we were last week,” said senior defensemen Nina Jobst Smith.

The puck drops at 3:01 p.m. for both games on Oct. 13 and Oct. 14 at Amsoil Arena.

The games will be broadcast on the MY9 Sports Network.

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