Ohio State graduate goaltender Amanda Thiele (30) makes a save during the game against Minnesota Duluth Friday. The Buckeyes defeated the Bulldogs
When Ohio State took on Minnesota Duluth Sept. 21-22, 2024, the Bulldogs left Columbus with two victories at the OSU Ice Rink.
This time around, the Buckeyes flipped the script and returned to Columbus with two statement victories over a top-five team.
No. 2 Ohio State (17-5-3, 12-5-2 Western Collegiate Hockey Association) hit the road to take on the No. 4 Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (15-7-2, 10-6-2 WCHA) in a two-game weekend series. The road trip concluded with a series sweep, featuring a 3-1 Buckeyes win Friday night, followed by a 2-1 win Saturday.
Game 1
It didn't take long for the Buckeyes to get going in the opener.
Three minutes into the first period, Buckeyes forward Jocelyn Amos netted a goal, assisted by forwards Joy Dunne and Kiara Zanon.
With just under 10 minutes played in the opening frame, defender Riley Brengman scored off assists from forward Maddi Wheeler and defender Brooke Disher to extend Ohio State's lead to two.
The Bulldogs answered back with a power-play goal by forward Caitlin Kraemer to trim their deficit to just one.
The Buckeyes then capped off their night with an empty net goal by Zanon, which sealed Ohio State's 3-1 victory.
The Buckeyes' win handed Minnesota Duluth their first loss since Nov. 16, 2024 against Minnesota, ending the Bulldogs' 10-game unbeaten streak.
Game 2
The Buckeyes carried their trend of lightning-quick starts into Saturday as Dunne opened the game with a score to give Ohio State an early 1-0 lead.
In the final moments of the first period, Minnesota Duluth responded as forward Olivia Wallin scored on a power play goal, assisted by forward Clara Van Wieren and defender Tova Henderson.
With just over three minutes left in the second period, forward Makenna Webster scored off a shot assisted by forward Jenna Buglioni, putting the Buckeyes back up 2-1 heading into the third period.
Neither team mustered any points in the final frame as the Buckeyes held on to a 2-1 victory and a series sweep, extending Ohio State's win streak to four games.
In the two-game series, the Buckeyes outpaced Minnesota Duluth with a combined 107 shots on goal compared to only 34 shots by the Bulldogs.
Next, the Buckeyes will travel to Mercyhurst University on Tuesday for a 4 p.m. contest at the Mercyhurst Ice Center.