University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
5-1-0, 3-1-0
Ohio State
7-1-0, 5-1-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio St. | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Minnesota | 0 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
Buckeyes Outlast Gophers, 6-5
10/17/2026 4:55:00 PM | Women's Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS – The No. 3-ranked University of Minnesota women's hockey team fell to top-ranked Ohio State 6-5 Saturday afternoon at Ridder Arena. After falling behind 3-0 early in the second period, the Gophers rallied to tie the game and briefly take the lead in the third, but the Buckeyes scored twice in the final 10 minutes to secure the victory.
Ohio State struck first at the 6:56 mark of the opening period, capitalizing on a faceoff to find a skater alone in the slot. The Buckeyes doubled their advantage at 10:21 with a power-play goal to take a 2-0 lead into the first intermission. Minnesota had two power-play opportunities of its own in the opening frame but was unable to convert.
The Buckeyes extended their lead to 3-0 just 16 seconds into the second period with their second power-play goal of the afternoon.
Minnesota responded at the 2:49 mark of the middle frame. Maddie McCullough skated in off the rush and fired high to the short side to put the Gophers on the board and cut the deficit to 3-1.
Avery Hovland kept the momentum rolling, finding the back of the net at 7:20. Following a board battle along the half wall, the puck squirted out to Hovland at the right faceoff circle, where she fired near side and through the Buckeye goaltender for her first goal of the season, making it a one-goal game.
The Gophers completed the comeback at the 15:16 mark. From behind the goal line, Tereza Plosova delivered a centering pass to Emma Kreisz, who one-timed the puck home to even the score at 3-3.
Ohio State reclaimed the lead just 50 seconds later, but Minnesota answered again before the second intermission. With 24 seconds remaining in the period, Kreisz fed Sarah Paul at the top of the left faceoff circle. Paul unleashed a shot high to the near side to tie the game at 4-4 heading into the third.
The Gophers took their first lead of the afternoon 5:27 into the final frame. On a two-on-one rush, Ashley Allard fed Paul, whose wrist shot deflected off a Buckeye defender's stick and into the net to give Minnesota a 5-4 advantage.
Ohio State answered with back-to-back goals at 10:58 and 11:40 to regain the lead and ultimately secure the 6-5 victory. The game-winner came on a rebound in front of the net that the Buckeyes were able to finish.
With the loss, Minnesota moves to 5-1-0 overall and 3-1-0 in WCHA play, while Ohio State improves to 7-1-0 overall and 5-1-0 in conference action.
QUOTABLE
"It was a really good college hockey game," said head coach Greg "Boom" May. "I liked our resiliency, but obviously I didn't like our start. I don't think our players liked our start either, but I loved our ability to bounce back. We stayed in there and we competed, battled back to tie it up and take a lead there for a minute. Overall, I'm just proud of our group for how they hung in there, their compete level, and how they finished."
NOTABLE
- Julia Schalin recorded three points.
- Emma Kreisz scored her first goal of the season.
- Four Gophers tallied multiple points.
- Sarah Paul recorded her first multi-goal game of the season.
- Molly Jordan finished with a plus-three rating.
UP NEXT
The Gophers cap off their six-game homestand with a pair of nonconference games against Lindenwood next week at Ridder Arena. Game times are set for Thursday, Oct. 22 at 6 p.m. CT and Friday, Oct. 23 at 3 p.m. CT. Both games will stream live on B1G+.
