Conference matchup between Bemidji State and Ohio State the toughest game of 2013
In
a Western Collegiate Hockey Association conference matchup featuring the
Bemidji State Beavers and Ohio State Buckeyes, its ending is one that no one
could have foreseen. Setting a conference and collegiate hockey record for
penalty minutes in a game (men and women) with 303, the intensity, passion and
grit displayed on the ice resulted in an anomaly for women’s hockey play.
During
regulation play, the Beavers were called for four penalties (two for tripping,
one for roughing and checking), while the Buckeyes had an elbowing call in the
first and a tripping call along with hooking in the third period. Once the
buzzer signaled to end the game, a bench-clearing brawl ensued, with the consequence
being 18 fighting majors, 19 game misconducts. This was followed by a total of
19 disqualifications for the following day’s game.
The
postgame fight resulted in 287 penalty minutes with Ohio State receiving 24
penalties for 158 minutes Bemidji State was given 23 penalties for 145 minutes.
The disqualified players were as follows:
Ohio State Bemidji State
• Chelsea Knapp • Stephanie
Anderson
• Julia McKinnon • Ivana
Bilic
• Madison Marcotte • Kayleigh Chapman
• Melani Moylan •
Alex Citrowske
• Alexa Ranahan • Alex Ehlert
• Kari Schmitt • Rachael Kelly
• Sara Schmitt • Lauren Miller
• Hayley Studler • Kaitlyn
Tougas
• Kayla Sullivan •
Danielle Williams
• Annie Svedin
Previously,
the record had been 268 penalty minutes in a tussle between Boston University
and Maine during a January 24, 2004 men’s hockey game. Of note, the previous
women’s hockey record was 83 penalty minutes, set on December 14, 2003 between
rivals Minnesota and Minnesota-Duluth. With regards to the Buckeyes program,
the men’s hockey record for most penalty minutes in one game is 150 (set in
1981), while the previous high in women’s hockey was 57 (set in 2003).
While
the WCHA is the most dominant conference in NCAA women’s hockey, the game’s
ending is one that certainly brought a degree of embarrassment to the
conference. To be fair, this is not
standard in women’s hockey. It is a rare instance where emotions boiled over.
The
Beavers would reply with three unanswered goals as Tess Dusik opened the scoring
for the Beavers with a short-handed goal at 8:20. Ohio State had enjoyed a
5-on-3 power play when Dusik bounced a rebound off Chelsea Knapp’s pads for the
goal. Lauren Miller was called for roughing and then Alex Ehlert was sent to
the penalty box for checking.
In
the final frame, the Buckeyes were applying offensive pressure. Outshooting the
Beavers by an overwhelming 15-4 margin, grit and physicality was part of the
period. While Schmitt scored on Brittni Mowat at the 3:22 mark to reduce the
Beavers lead, it would prove to be the Buckeyes last goal. The Beavers managed their first conference win of the season and their first road win at Ohio State since 2010, Mowat would be recognized as the WCHA Defensive Player of the Week.
Frustrations mounted as the Buckeyes struggled to tie the game. By the end of the contest, tensions had reached their boiling point as a donnybrook for the ages ensued.
Frustrations mounted as the Buckeyes struggled to tie the game. By the end of the contest, tensions had reached their boiling point as a donnybrook for the ages ensued.
According
to Buckeyes coach Nate Handrahan, he had felt that some of the opposing players
had employed chippiness throughout the game. Although he acknowledged this is a
rare instance in women’s hockey, he did complement his players on showing some
fight and spirit.
With
both teams sporting losing records, the fact that it was a conference match
only added to the importance. As teams are jockeying for position with regards
to postseason play, every conference match holds with it postseason
implications.
The
November 8 match began with a defensive stalemate in the first period. Buckeyes
goaltender stopped 11 shots while Beavers freshman backstop Brittni Mowat
logged six stops. The Beavers played a solid period with offensive pressure
while Mowat helped nullify two Buckeyes power plays.
In
the rematch the day after, each team only had six forwards and four competitors
due to the disqualifications from the night before. Tess Dusik opened the
scoring for Bemidji State as she buried the puck past senior goalie Lisa
Steffes. Freshman Breanne Grant would reply for the Buckeyes, as she scored her
first NCAA career goal to tie the game.
Merely
17 seconds into the second period, Allie Duellman took advantage of a power
play as she provided Bemidji State with another lead. Despite their best
efforts to tie the game, Brittni Mowat nullified two Buckeyes power plays while
making 15 stops. With 19 Buckeyes shots in the third, Danielle Gagne would tie
the game. Going into overtime, three penalties would hinder either teams chance
to win the game. Fatigue and exhaustion resulted in three shots each as the
game ended in a 2-2 tie.
Beavers player portraits courtesy of Bemidji State Athletics
Ohio
State players (clockwise from top left):
Madison Marcotte, Julia McKinnon, Melani Moylan, Kayla Sullivan, Hayley
Studler, Kari Schmitt, Sara Schmitt, Alexa Ranahan, Annie Svedin, Chelsea
Knapp. Images courtesy of Ohio State
Athletics
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