St. Cloud State
1-4-0, 0-1-0WCHA
Ohio State
6-0-1, 4-0-1WCHA
St. Cloud State blanked by No. 4 Buckeyes, 4-0, in WCHA opener
10/20/2017 6:24:00 PM | Women's Hockey
Sophomore goaltender Janine Alder turns away season high 44 saves in the loss
ST. CLOUD—A promising start fell out from underneath the St. Cloud State women's hockey team (1-4-0, 0-1-0 WCHA) as a four-goal second period undid the Huskies in a shutout loss, 4-0, to No. 4 Ohio State (6-0-1, 4-0-1) in their conference season opener on Friday.
SCSU has been blanked four times in five games this season, which is the most this early in a campaign in program history. The previous low was set by the 2015-16 Huskies, which were shutout four times in their first six games—though that team went on to become the winningest St. Cloud State side of the last 12 years.
The Huskies were up to the task early, out-shooting the Buckeyes, 8-5, and out-attempting them, 18-12, at even strength in the first period, but were unable to break through on the scoreboard. Starting faster and with more urgency has been a focus point for the coaching staff this season, so the effort in the opening 20 minutes was an encouraging sign.
"We have had some weak starts this season, which is something we have talked about," head coach Eric Rud. "We came out with great energy and were sharp and into the game. It was a great start."
But that start faded in the middle frame. Ohio State came into this weekend having already played four league games and that conditioning was evident as it racked up a 26-9 shots on goal advantage and capitalized on some fortunate bounces en route to four unanswered second period goals—from which SCSU and its snakebitten offense was unable to recover.
"It was a combination of our inexperience and a little but of puck luck for those guys," Rud said. "It was a weird period that we did not navigate well enough."
Though they were not rewarded, the Huskies' offense did "a lot of really good things" in the setback, according to Rud. In part, the team's scoring woes can be chalked up to its ongoing search for chemistry amongst a group of forwards that regularly features as many as five new faces —as it did Friday against the Buckeyes—but can help itself out by wreaking more havoc in front of the net.
SCSU charted 26 shots on goal in the contest, but failed to exploit the second chance opportunities offered to it.
"We need more second effort around their net. We would make a play, get a rebound and everyone would be watching or waiting instead of getting in there and causing chaos," Rud said. "We are always going to be the kind of team that has to score dirty goals, so we have to have a 'get to the net' mentality."
The trio of sophomore forwards Kayla Friesen and Janna Haeg and freshman forward Laura Kluge created its fair share of dangerous moments, while sophomore forward Brooke Kudirka led the Huskies with five shots on goal.
Though she took her third loss of the season, sophomore goaltender Janine Alder turned away a personal and team season high 44 shots.
Seeking a split, St. Cloud State wraps up its WCHA series against the Buckeyes on Saturday, October 21 at 2:37 p.m. at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center. Fans can purchase tickets at scsutickets.com or at the arena box office on game day. SCSU students with a valid university ID, fans ages 18 and under and men's hockey season ticket holders receive free admission to all women's hockey home games.
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