BY ERIK GAFFRON | The Statesman
THE GAME
UMD fell 6-4 to the Ohio State Buckeyes Friday night after what was a strong start for the Bulldogs. A three-goal first period that saw two goals from Michela Cava and a power play goal from Ashleigh Brykaliuk was washed out by poor goaltending from Maddie Rooney and an overall poor defensive effort. The second period brought a goalie change, with Karissa Grapp replacing Rooney in net. After just a few minutes of game time Grapp faced six shots and allowed three goals before she was also replaced by Kayla Black in net.
A weak penalty kill unit also plagued the Bulldogs. They allowed four power play goals in as many chances before killing a five-minute misconduct penalty in the third period. The Bulldogs were able to muster a third period tally off the stick of Morgan Morse. This goal was her second of the season but wasn’t enough to propel the Bulldogs past the Buckeyes.
THE TAKEAWAY
The game can only be described as bizarre. The first period saw six goals—three for each team—a near perfect power play (4 of 5, 7 total shots) for Ohio State and a game misconduct for UMD’s Lara Stalder. The Bulldogs also had all three goaltenders get playing time, while all three have had solid performances in net at different times throughout the season. The Bulldogs are in the midst of a seven game skid and fall to 9-17-1 overall as Karissa Grapp gets credit for the loss.
THE NUMBERS
4: The OSU power play was nearly perfect, scoring on four of their five chances. These goals accounted for two-thirds of the Buckeyes’ tallies.
2: UMD was perfect on their power play opportunities, scoring on both chances they had in the game.
6:12: UMD goaltender Karissa Grapp allowed three goals in just 6:12 on the ice, and was credited with the loss. WAIT WHAT?
UMD used all three goaltenders in their 6-4 loss, a relatively unheard of statistic as there was no apparent injuries to the goaltenders. The loss falls on Karissa Grapp but Maddie Rooney could have gotten the same credit after letting in 3 soft first period goals. Kayla Black came in relief of both goaltenders and was perfect in her 32 minutes and seven seconds of ice time.