Women's college hockey series of the week: No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 6 Minnesota Duluth

On Friday, Ohio State travels to Minnesota to face off against the Bulldogs.

The Buckeyes have a current record of 1-1 as their last opponent was Colgate. Ohio State lost 3-2 in the first game but won in overtime in the second game of that series, 3-2.

Minnesota Duluth is currently undefeated at 2-0 as its first series was against LIU. They currently have no goals against them as both games were shutouts.

These two teams have a pretty close record against each other since their first game in 2013. The Bulldogs currently lead the all-time series 22-15 and there have been four ties as well. Last season, the Buckeyes took the 2-1 win over the Bulldogs.

Mannon McMahon and Clara Van Wieren are the players to watch for Minnesota Duluth along with the goaltenders, Ève Gascon and Hailey MacLeod. McMahon had an assist in the first game but then scored four goals in the second game with five shots. Van Wieren had a hat trick in the first game and then two assists in the second game.

Each goaltender got to play one game. The freshman Gascon got the start in the first game where she played the whole thing and made 12 saves. MacLeod played the second game and tallied 10 saves.

Sloane Matthews, Jenna Buglioni and Kiara Zanon are the players to watch wearing red and white. Matthews currently leads the team in goals with two. She also has a +/- +2. Buglioni scored the overtime goal for Ohio State in its second game. Zanon, a transfer from Penn State, has the only power-play goal for the team currently.

Maura Crowell is the head coach for Minnesota Duluth. She is in her ninth season with the team and she has helped lead the Bulldog to its third-straight NCAA Tournament berth in 2023. She hopes to make it four this year.

Not only has Crowell worked with this team but she has worked with UMass Boston, Harvard and USA Under-18. She has earned a few of the Coach of the Year awards as well in her time behind the bench. She wants to tally more records and championships with this team and hopes to continue the success this season.

Nadine Muzerall is the head coach for Ohio State as she is entering her seventh season with the team. She led the team to its first national championship in the 2021-22 season where the team also had its first No. 1 national ranking.

Murzerall has won WCHA Coach of the Year three times, and the team has broken some program records with her leadership. She looks to continue this success for the Buckeyes this season.

This will be a great game as Minnesota Duluth looks to stay undefeated, and the Buckeyes hope to create a winning streak over the Bulldogs.

Kassie Vasellas is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email kmv5506@psu.edu