No. 1 Ohio State left no doubt in Columbus on Saturday, routing No. 8 Colgate 8-0 at the OSU Ice Rink to complete a weekend series sweep. The Buckeyes improved to 9-1-0 overall and 5-1-0 in WCHA play, while Colgate fell to 6-2-0. Ohio State athletics reported the result as the Buckeyes’ first home sweep in the series, a commanding finish to the weekend on home ice.
Hilda Svensson opened the scoring at 9:20 of the first period, putting Ohio State in front in the opening frame. That early goal set the tone for a game the Buckeyes controlled the rest of the way. Colgate, ranked eighth nationally, was unable to answer before the first intermission, and Ohio State carried its lead into a second period that would decide the contest.
The second period turned a close game into a rout. Ohio State scored six goals in the period alone, breaking the game open against a Colgate team that had entered with only two losses. The outburst began with special teams, as the Buckeyes struck for the first three goals of the period while on the power play or shorthanded.
Hayley McDonald started the surge with a power-play goal at 1:18 of the second, redirecting a shot from Maxine Cimoroni. The goal was the first of McDonald’s career, a milestone made more memorable by the stage — a matchup between two top-10 teams in Columbus. It doubled the Buckeyes’ advantage and opened the door to everything that followed.
Jocelyn Amos then took over in a span of less than two minutes. Amos scored shorthanded at 5:34 of the second period, with Joy Dunne assisting on the play, and followed with a power-play goal at 6:58. Two goals in under two minutes, one in each special-teams situation, stretched Ohio State’s lead and left Colgate chasing a game that had quickly gotten away.
The first-career-goal theme continued late in the period. Ema Tothova scored on an end-to-end play with a minute left in the second, and Sydney Sawyer added a goal at 16:44, just as a power play expired. Sawyer’s goal, like McDonald’s and Tothova’s, was the first of her career, giving Ohio State three players recording that milestone in the same game.
By the end of the second period, the Buckeyes had built their 8-0 margin through a combination of pressure and special-teams execution. A shorthanded goal, power-play goals and goals from players opening their career accounts illustrated the depth on display. Colgate, a 6-2-0 team coming in, had no response to the six-goal period.
For Ohio State, the sweep carries weight beyond a single weekend. A shutout of a top-10 opponent, a first home sweep in the series and a 5-1-0 start in WCHA play reinforce the Buckeyes’ position at No. 1. Saturday’s game will be remembered for that second period — six goals, the first three on special teams, and the nation’s top team at its most dominant.
Photo: Lakeland PBS, CC BY