WCHA Weekly Round-Up #1

The WCHA season officially kicked off on Sept. 21, and there’s already a ton to talk about for the best conference in women’s hockey. From upsets to absolute routs, the WCHA had it all these past couple of weeks. 

An Upsetting Start for Ohio State 

Sept. 21: Minnesota Duluth 2 Ohio State 1

Sept. 22: Minnesota Duluth 4 Ohio State 3

No. 7 University of Minnesota Duluth shocked everyone by sweeping the No. 1/2 reigning champs on opening weekend. Saturday’s game was a tense affair, with the score tied 1-1 after two. Ohio State pounded the net, outshooting the Bulldogs 40 to 14, but couldn’t get the game-winner past goaltender Ève Gascon. Instead, UMD got the win when Ida Karlsson scored with seconds left in the game. 

Sunday’s game was more of a back-and-forth affair. Jocelyn Amos got the scoring going in the first for OSU, and Clara Van Wieren tied it for UMD eight minutes later. Jenna Lawry scored an insurance goal at the top of the second, but OSU came back and grabbed the lead again with goals from Emma Peschel and Kiara Zanon. The third period was all about Caitlin Kraemer. Kraemer scored not one, but two unassisted goals in the third to get the win, and the sweep, for UMD. 

The Bulldogs had not swept Ohio State in four years and hadn’t swept a No. 1 or No. 2 ranked team since 2017. For their efforts, the Bulldogs received two awards in the first weekly WCHA award roundup. Caitlin Kraemer received Rookie of the Week after her stellar performance, and Ève Gascon received Goaltender of the Week due to her first-ever series sweep. Gascon’s 75 saves were her highest for a series in her career. 

Badgers > Lions

Sept. 27: Lindenwood 0 Wisconsin 12

Sept. 28: Lindenwood 1 Wisconsin 8

The No. 2 team had quite a different opening weekend than their rivals, as Wisconsin scored 20 games in a weekend series against Lindenwood. It was the second year Wisconsin swept Lindenwood for the season opener, which kind of makes you wonder why Lindenwood keeps agreeing to this. However, playing one of the best teams in women’s hockey is a valuable learning experience, as Lindenwood hopes to one day bridge the gap. 

Wisconsin scored eight goals in the first period in their first game of the season, setting a program record and tying the NCAA record for most goals in a period. Bob Allen Women’s Player of the Year recipient Laila Edwards scored in both games, setting a high precedent for the rest of the season. Casey O’Brien also had two goals in the series, along with six assists, earning her WCHA Forward of the Week for Sept. 30th. 

Other Notes: 

UMD’s games against Syracuse on Sept. 27 and 28 were canceled and rescheduled for January. 

Freshman Jordyn Petrie scored three goals in Ohio State’s series against Bemidji State, earning her WCHA Rookie of the Week for Sept. 30. 

Wisconsin replaced the reigning champions at No.1 and Ohio State dropped down to No. 4 in the Sept. 30 USCHO Poll after a rocky start to the season.

Games to Watch: 

No. 3 UMD vs No. 7 Colgate

UMD has had an interesting season, sweeping their weekend opener and then being forced to have a bye week. It’ll be interesting to see if UMD can ride the momentum from their upset and put up a fight against No. 7 Colgate or if they’ll fall back in line after two weeks of no games. 

St. Thomas vs Post University

St. Thomas was ranked seventh in the WCHA preseason poll, making them comparable to Post University, which was ranked seventh in the NEWHA preseason poll. As both these teams struggle to make their mark in their respective divisions, they should be evenly matched for this weekend’s series, making it one of the few times this season St. Thomas could get a win. 

No. 4 Ohio State vs No. 8 St. Lawrence 

After being swept by the No. 7 team last week, Ohio State needs to pull out all the stops against St. Lawrence this weekend if they want to climb back up in the rankings.