Columbus, Ohio (OSU Ice Rink) — Saturday evening in Columbus, the Beavers fell behind but battled back within a goal to make it an exciting hockey game.
The Bemidji State University women’s hockey team fell 5-3 to the Ohio State University Buckeyes Saturday despite mounting a late comeback with two goals in the third period. The Beavers fall to 1-1-2 (0-1-1-1) on the season. Ohio State improves to 1-0-1 (1-0-1-0 WCHA).
Erika Wheelhouse (Jr., D, Crookston, Minn.) had assists on all three BSU goals for a total of six assists in one weekend for Bemidji State. The three assists in each game ties for second place for the most assists in a single road game for the Beavers. Wheelhouse’s six assists are just one shy of her season total of six as a sophomore for the 2010-11 campaign. Montana Vichorek (Sr., D, Moose Lake, Minn.) tallied two assists in the contest moving her season total to three.
After a scoreless first period, the Buckeyes lifted the lid off the net when Kayla Sullivan netted the puck for her first goal of the season. Danielle Gagne and Kelly Wild were credited with assists on the goal.
Marlee Wheelhouse (Sr., D, Crookston, Minn.) evened the score 1-1 with 4:17 run off the clock in the second period. The goal is Wheelhouse’s first of the season and sixth of her career. Her sister, E. Wheelhouse, and Vichorek were credited with assists on the goal.
Ally Tarr moved the Buckeye lead to 2-1 in the eighth minute of the second period. The goal was Tarr’s first of the season and was en route to a hat trick for the OSU player. In a rarity, the Buckeyes would end up with two players netting hat tricks on the weekend after Natalie Spooner scored four goals on Friday. Laura McIntosh got the assist on Tarr’s goal.
Tarr added another goal in the 10th minute of the second period off assists from McIntosh and Hokey Langan.
Tarr quickly added her third goal of the game nearly five minutes into the third period. Langan and Wild added the assists on the hat-trick capping goal for Tarr.
Down 4-1, the Beavers looked to be down for the count until Sadie Lundquist (Jr., F, Cloquet, Minn.) put the pack by OSU goalie Lisa Steffes in the 10th minute of the third period. The goal put BSU down 4-2 with only 10 minutes remaining. The score was Lundquist’s second goal of the season. E. Wheelhouse and Vichorek added assists on the play.
Three minutes later sophomore Tess Dusik (So., F, Oak Bluff, Manitoba) put the Beavers within one goal 4-3 after netting the puck off assists from E. Wheelhouse and Mackenzie Thurston (Jr., F, Ottawa, Ontario).
Looking the equalizer, BSU would pull goaltender Zuzana Tomcikova (Sr., G, Bratislava, Slovakia) in order to have six skaters on the ice. Unfortunately Natalie Spooner added her fifth goal of the weekend with an empty netter to put the Ohio State Buckeyes up 5-3 and all but seal the victory for OSU.
Tomcikova suffered her first loss of the season (1-1-2) after giving up five goals and making 29 saves on the night.
Steffes picked up the win for the Buckeyes in her first start of the season. Steffes allowed three goals on the night and had 28 saves.
On Friday night, the Beavers battled back from an early three goal deficit to earn its first WCHA point of the season, but fell in the shootout to Ohio State. BSU’s record now stands at 1-0-2 (0-0-1-1 WCHA) on the season. Ohio State earns the shootout victory in their first game of the season and moves to 0-0-1 (0-0-1-0 WCHA).
Emily Erickson (R-Jr., F, Coleraine, Minn.) paced BSU with two goals and one assist while Erika Wheelhouse (Jr., D, Crookston, Minn.) added three assists. Wheelhouse was once again a menace on defense blocking five OSU shots.
The Beavers got off to a slow start, falling behind OSU 0-3 off a natural hat trick for OSU’s Natalie Spooner.
BSU finally got on the board at 14:18 of second period when Emily Erickson (Jr., F, Coleraine, Minn.) found the back of the net with help from Erika Wheelhouse (Jr., Crookston, Minn.) and Rachael Kelly (Fr., F, Rosemount, Minn.), The goal was Erickson’s first of the season and also served as the first points of the season for both Erickson and Wheelhouse. The assist marks the first of the career for Kelly who played on the top line with Sadie Lundquist (Jr., F, Cloquet, Minn.) and Erickson.
Minutes later the Beavers found themselves on a five on three power play when Lundquist crashed the net hard, putting the puck underneath the OSU goalie at the 18:41 mark, assisted by Montana Vichorek (Sr., Moose Lake, Minn.) and Erickson. The goal was the first of the season for Lundquist.
Erickson would pot her second goal, a power play goal, less than a minute later to knot the game at 3-3. Erika and Marlee Wheelhouse (Sr., Crookston, Minn.) assisted on the goal 19:46 into the second period. Bemidji State outshot Ohio State 16-3 in the second frame.
Kristi King (So., Stillwater, Minn.) would give the Beavers the lead in the third, lifting a blast over the left shoulder of OSU goalie. King took a great feed from Abby Williams (Jr., F, Alexandria, Minn.), with Erika Wheelhouse getting the second assist on the play. The goal was the first of King’s Bemidji State career after transferring from University of Maine prior to the start of the 2011-12 season.
Spooner beat Zuzana Tomcikova (Sr., Bratislava, Slovakia) on the power play at 4:59 in the third for her fourth goal, equalizing the game at 4-4.
With the game tied 4-4 and 8:47 to play in the third, Ohio State forward Melissa Feste went racing toward Tomcikova on a breakaway. Vichorek chased her down from behind to break up the scoring chance, preserving the score at 4-4.
OSU nearly won the game at the end of OT when the puck found the back of the net as time expired. The would be game winner was waved-off on the ice, as time had expired. The play was reviewed with the call standing, no goal.
The Beavers and Tomcikova had no answer for Spooner, as she found the back of the net five times scoring four goals beating Tomcikova in the shootout. The game went to a shootout with Spooner finding the net yet again for the Buckeyes. Ally Tarr added a shootout goal to give Ohio State the victory.
Tomcikova allowed four Buckeye goals on the night while making 23 saves. Her record stands at 1-0-2. Chelsea Knapp played in net for OSU Friday night allowing four goals and netting 30 saves.
The shootout loss was the third straight for the Beavers against Ohio State. BSU last won a shootout against the Buckeyes Oct. 17, 2009 at John Glas Fieldhouse in Bemidji, Minn.
Bemidji State will play a nonconference series in Orono, Maine against the University of Maine Black Bears next weekend.
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