Ohio State freshman forward Jordan Baxter takes on Bemidji State's Genevieve Hendrickson at the face-off dot during Ohio State's 11-1 win on Feb. 2. Ohio State will face Bemidji State in the first round of the WCHA tournament Friday through Sunday.Credit: Aiden Ridgway | Lantern Photographer
After missing out on the top seed in last season's Western Collegiate Hockey Association tournament, the No. 1 Buckeyes are looking to right the ship in the postseason.
Their conference tournament begins with a best-of-three quarterfinal series against Bemidji State (4-28-2, 3-24-1, WCHA) at the Ohio State Ice Rink. The series will be held on Friday and Saturday, with Game 3 scheduled for Sunday if necessary.
“When you get into the playoffs, your mindset changes,” senior goaltender Raegan Kirk said. “You're putting everything at risk. You have to give it your all on the ice and play like it's your last game because there might not be another Monday to reset and look forward.”
The Bemidji State Series will be a rematch of last season's quarterfinals, where the Buckeyes defeated the Beavers 4-1 and 2-1. Ohio State has won four straight against Bemidji State this season, but Kirk said facing the Beavers in the postseason will be a new challenge.
“A lot of times it ends people's careers,” Kirk said. “If we lose, it's over for a lot of teams. We just played a few weeks ago, so we're building on that, but we also know it's going to be a completely different game.”
Brioni said adapting to Bemidji State's defensive style was a challenge in recent series, which Ohio State won 11-1 and 9-1 on Feb. 2 and 3.
“It's difficult to play against them,” said Brioni. “They pack the ball in the defensive zone and block a lot of shots. They're going to play us really hard, they're physical and they work hard, so we have to be ready for that. Let’s go.”
In the early February series, Ohio State won 9-1 on February 3, scoring three short goals (two by Brioni). Brioni said staying strong on the penalty kill was a key factor in the Buckeyes' success that weekend.
“We're really focusing on the little details in the defensive zone, and that translates into how effective we can be in the offensive zone,” Brioni said. “You saw us. [penalty kill] We can score some goals that weekend and it's exciting to be that aggressive and be such a threat even when we're behind.”
Ohio State enters the tournament on Saturday with its first loss in 16 games against No. 2 Wisconsin. Buglioni said the Badgers' come-from-behind victory could serve as a lesson for Ohio State as it enters postseason play.
“The first period was great, but we lost a little bit of momentum,” Brioni said. “We need to be able to play the full 60 minutes. This loss means that for us going into the playoffs, the next game is not guaranteed and we need to be at our best every shift, every period of the game. It could be a good wake-up call.”
Bemidji State is currently on an eight-game losing streak, with its most recent win coming on Jan. 27 against St. Thomas.
The Beavers are led in scoring by Taylor Nelson and Gabby Smith, who each have 12 points through 34 games. Bemidji State's starting goaltender, Eva Philipova, started the regular season in 19 games with a 4.08 points per game and .884 save percentage.
If Ohio State defeats Bemidji State, it will face the winner of No. 8 Minnesota-Duluth and No. 10 St. Cloud State on February 8 at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis.
Game 1 of the first-round series begins Friday at 6 p.m., with puck drop set for 3 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. All first round games will be streamed live on Big Ten Plus.
