Top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes ready for women's hockey Frozen Four

DURHAM, N.H. −  The Ohio State women’s hockey team is hoping to play in its third straight national championship game on Sunday. In order to make it there, the Buckeyes have to defeat Clarkson, who they’ll face in the national semifinal at 4 p.m. Friday. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.

This is Ohio State’s fourth straight Frozen Four appearance. The Buckeyes made their first Frozen Four in 2018, Nadine Muzerall’s second year as coach. They faced Clarkson and lost 1-0 in overtime.

The OSU women’s hockey program has grown exponentially in the six years since that initial appearance, in part because Muzerall has embraced use of the transfer portal. The landscape of college sports continues to shift rapidly and Muzerall said coaches have to change with it or get left behind.

And she does not intend to be left behind.

The Buckeyes are hungry for a title, with half the roster having experienced the disappointment of last season’s 1-0 loss to Wisconsin in the championship game and the other half filled with first-year players and graduate students who took advantage of the portal to join this team specifically because they wanted an opportunity to compete for a national championship.

Those players have wildly different emotions heading into the Frozen Four, but Muzerall said the biggest thing she and her staff are preaching to them is composure. She avoids talking about nerves, saying her players are prepared physically and feeling excitement, not nervousness.

“We have a special group and have the perfect blend of experience at Frozen Four, but also hunger for never being here, as well,” said graduate transfer Cayla Barnes. "There are a lot of us that want a national championship and have never had the opportunity even to get one."

Ohio State won its quarterfinal over Minnesota Duluth in convincing fashion, taking down their conference foes 9-0. That win came on the heels of losing to fellow Frozen Four team Wisconsin in the WCHA Tournament championship, after which Muzerall said she hoped her team was angry, upset and motivated to do better.

The massive win that followed showed her the team took that to heart.

“We really put our foot on the gas and made a statement on what this team can do,” said graduate student and captain Jennifer Gardiner.

With just four losses on the season and having been ranked No. 1 in the country since Nov. 20, the Buckeyes are the favorites heading into the weekend. But they know that doesn’t mean anything when the puck drops.

Barnes said the Buckeyes trust in their systems and preparation, and that makes them confident and ready to play.

“The NCAA Tournament is a new chapter, and you start all over,” Muzerall said. "The board is wiped clean. It's anybody's game because all four teams are extremely talented. We're ready for the challenge."

Clarkson enters the semifinal having played the second-longest game in NCAA Tournament history in their quarterfinal last weekend, beating Minnesota Duluth in a four-overtime game that lasted 125:44 in game time and more than five hours from the time the puck first dropped.

With Ohio State’s propensity for fast play and pressuring opponents, Clarkson had to put a focus on recovery and preparation for this semifinal. A defensive team,, Clarkson plans to focus on its play out of the back and let the offense build from there.

“We understand going into this game that Ohio State is a really deep team, they’re a talented team, they’re the No. 1 team in the country for a reason,” said Clarkson coach Matt Derosiers. "We know that they like to push the pace.

"Our girls have a good understanding of what's coming. Once we get into the game, it might be a different story. Once we see that kind of speed coming at us, how can we defend? Sometimes you don't know exactly how it's going to go until you're actually in the fight."

There is not one standout on the Buckeyes this season. Four players have 40 or more points, another four have 30 or more points and all but five players on the roster have scored in double digits. Joy Dunne, who on Thursday was named the Hockey Commissioner’s Association Julie Chu Rookie of the Year, is fourth on the team in scoring with 22 goals and 18 assists for 40 points. The Buckeyes use depth to wear teams down.

“We don't have one prima donna on this team,” Muzerall said. “They just want to win, and they want to do it as a unified front. And they don't care who puts the puck in the net.”

Muzerall tells her players they need to be relentless. They overwhelm teams with speed and pressure, forcing turnovers, winning puck battles and doing their best to keep opponents off balance. She tells her team to "control the controllables."

“It's the mental side of the game at this point,” Muzerall said. "You're physically ready and you're fit. There's nothing that's going to change from now till tomorrow. It's just the mindset of having it not be just relentless in your feet, in your hands, but in your mind.

“You are the No. 1 team, and go out and own it.”

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes ready for women's hockey Frozen Four