Eric Boggs
The No. 2 Ohio State women’s hockey team delivered a commanding performance in the WCHA First Round, sweeping seventh-seeded St. Thomas with back-to-back victories at the OSU Ice Rink. The Buckeyes sealed the series with a 4-1 win on Saturday, following a 5-1 triumph in the opener on Friday. With the sweep, Ohio State (27-6-3, 19-6-3 WCHA) advances to the 2025 WCHA Final Faceoff, while the Tommies (9-25-2) conclude their season.
Ohio State wasted no time setting the tone in Saturday’s game, lighting the lamp twice within the first two minutes. Joy Dunne, continuing her red-hot scoring streak, opened the scoring at 1:36 with a power-play goal. Just 12 seconds later, Josie St. Martin finished off a give-and-go sequence with Jordyn Petrie to double the lead. The Buckeyes added another goal late in the first period when Maddi Wheeler redirected a Riley Brengman shot past St. Thomas goaltender Dani Strom at 14:56.
The momentum carried into the second period, with Makenna Webster extending Ohio State’s lead to four goals with just 32 seconds remaining before the intermission. Goaltender Amanda Thiele stood tall in net, stopping all eight shots through the first two periods to keep St. Thomas off the scoreboard. The Tommies managed to score the lone goal of the third period, but it was far too late to shift the outcome, as the Buckeyes cruised to victory.
Dunne extended her goal streak to six games, recording a team-high two points on a goal and an assist. Eleven Buckeyes contributed to the scoresheet, showcasing the team’s depth and offensive firepower. Thiele turned away 14 shots to improve her record to 18-5-2 on the season.
In Friday’s series opener, Ohio State once again dominated from start to finish. Dunne struck early, finding the back of the net just 91 seconds into the contest. Emma Peschel doubled the Buckeyes’ lead later in the first period, converting on a crisp tic-tac-toe passing play with Dunne and Jocelyn Amos. Mira Jungåker added to the tally in the second period, blasting a shot through traffic to put Ohio State up 3-0.
The Buckeyes opened the third period with a power-play goal from Amos just 29 seconds in. Though St. Thomas momentarily thought they had cut into the deficit, their goal was overturned upon review for goaltender interference. The Tommies did eventually score with under three minutes left, capitalizing on a late five-minute power play. However, Ohio State quickly responded, with Jungåker netting her second of the night on a shorthanded breakaway with 1:46 to play.
Jungåker had a career night, posting a career-high four points, including her first-ever shorthanded goal. Dunne continued her remarkable consistency, finding the net for the fifth consecutive game, while Amos notched her 10th power-play goal of the season—tying her with Ohio State great Natalie Spooner for eighth in program history.
Statistically, the Buckeyes were dominant across the board in both games. On Friday, they outshot St. Thomas 42-12, while Thiele made 11 saves in net. The trend continued Saturday, with Ohio State holding a 34-15 shot advantage. Special teams were a factor as well, with the Buckeyes converting two power-play goals over the weekend while holding St. Thomas to just one goal on nine attempts.
With the series win, Ohio State now turns its attention to the WCHA Final Faceoff, set for March 7-8 at AMSOIL Arena in Duluth, Minnesota. The Buckeyes will look to continue their dominant play as they pursue another conference title and a deep postseason run.
