The last two spots into the Frozen Four came down to Northeastern vs. Minnesota and Yale vs. Ohio State. The Gophers and Buckeyes played their first games of the NCAA playoffs, while the Huskies and Bulldogs were well-rested after Thursday’s wins. Only two of these teams would move on, and each of these four were hoping they would be one.
Northeastern vs. Minnesota
Northeastern and Minnesota met at Ridder Arena and things did not go well for the host team.
Northeastern’s Eloise Caron opened the scoring against Minnesota five minutes into the game. That was the perfect start given the Huskies were 19-3-0 when scoring first. The Gophers looked like they were caught off-guard by the speed of Northeastern but especially by their defense. They were suffocating to say the least. Any chance Minnesota had to set up a play or shoot the puck, the Huskies broke it up. They created enough traffic up front for the puck to not make it anywhere near the net.
Lack of effort costs Minnesota
One of the biggest problems for the Gophers was the fact they didn’t look like a team that finished third in the WCHA. Instead, they looked like a bubble team that had made it into the tournament by chance. They couldn’t handle Northeastern and allowed three goals in the first 15 minutes of the game. That led to starting goaltender Hannah Clark being pulled for Layla Hemp. It wasn’t her fault; the team in front of her was caught off guard at times, which resulted in odd rushes and didn’t show a lot of effort either.
Entering the second period with a solid 3-0 lead, the Huskies kept control of the game. Even when the Gophers had momentum early in the period, they were all shut down. The defense continued the trend of shutting down any chances from Minnesota. Their penalty kill was great too. In the second period they killed off a penalty, then immediately converted that into another goal for a 4-0 lead when Morgan Jackson was left all alone.
Goaltender Lisa Jönsson’s skill was on display. She’s a goalie that moves differently than others, as she can move laterally without much problem. That ability helped her stop many shots up close and even when her teammates were there for support, Jönsson was able to get the job done.
Even after Minnesota was able to score two goals in the final five minutes of the game, it wasn’t enough. Northeastern took the 4-2 win and heads to the Frozen Four for the fourth time and the first time since 2023.
Yale vs. Ohio State
Ohio State and Yale met again in the NCAA playoffs. They last played one another in the Frozen Four in 2022 where the Buckeyes won 2-1 to advance to the national championship game – which they won. The Bulldogs entered Saturday’s game after shutting out Minnesota Duluth in the first round, 1-0 while the Buckeyes played their first game of the NCAA playoffs. Ohio State faced Yale three times before and only lost once and they were aiming to beat them once again.
The top ranked team in the playoffs; the Buckeyes played for the first time since winning the WCHA conference title last week. Jordan Baxter, who scored the game-winning goal in that title game, found the back of the net on Saturday as part of a strong offensive showing.
The Buckeyes got on the board first six minutes into the game after Jocelyn Amos was able to squeeze the puck past Yale goaltender Samson Frey. The Bulldogs managed to tie the game thanks to Molly Boyle, who has been on a hot streak as of late. Boyle scored the only goal of the Bulldogs’ game against UMD.
Shots, shots, shots
The biggest difference between these two teams were the shots on goal. Ohio State kept shooting the puck and had 20 shots on goal in the first period alone. Yale, on the other hand, only recorded five. That was the tale of the tape for this team. They could not get their own offense going for the second straight game. This time, though, a one-goal performance wasn’t enough to move onto the next round.
The Buckeyes proceeded to blow the game open in the second period. They continued to apply pressure on the Bulldogs and added three more goals to extend their lead, 4-1.
Ohio State was able to capitalize at the right moments. Early in the second, they had an unsuccessful power play, but Kaia Malachino went top shelf just after the woman advantage time expired for the go-ahead goal. There were great plays in front of the net too by the Buckeyes which led to goals. Sloane Matthews kept trying at the puck near the net and even though she had opponents trying to clear the puck, she managed to score. The same occurred with Baxter’s goal. She was by herself near the net and was able to shoot the puck which rolled five hole into the net.
Ohio State needed to find ways to defeat a fast team with a talented goalie but they didn’t need to do much more than they’ve done all season. They kept shooting the puck, trying for greasy goals, and letting their defense shut down their opponent.
All of that helped them pour on the goals in the final two periods for the 6-1 win. Matthews finished with two goals and an assist while Amos recorded two goals and two assists.
The Buckeyes advance to their sixth-straight Frozen Four and will face Northeastern on March 20.
We’ll be back for coverage of the Frozen Four next week with a preview and postgame recap!
