Colgate's two straight shutouts meet Ohio State's 37 shots a night
No. 8 Colgate brings a 6-0 start to Columbus for a two-game series with No. 1 Ohio State, starting Friday at 6.
Colgate is 6-0 and hasn't given up a goal in two games. This weekend it travels to a rink where the home team averages 37 shots a night, and that's when we'll find out what the zero actually means.
No. 8 Colgate plays No. 1 Ohio State on Friday at 6 and Saturday at 3 at the OSU Ice Rink. It's a nonconference series between a WCHA power and an ECAC team that hasn't lost yet, and it's the most important matchup on the women's college schedule this weekend.
The W read: Colgate's start is legitimate, but the Raiders haven't faced anything resembling this opponent. Ohio State is the best team in the country, and this is already its fourth top-10 series of the season.
What Colgate brings
The Raiders swept St. Cloud State, then went to Boston University and won 2-0 and 1-0. Brooke Davis stopped 20 shots on Friday. Farah Walker stopped 22 on Saturday. By our count that's 120 straight minutes without a goal against, from two different goalies.
Two goaltenders playing that well is a comfortable problem for any coaching staff. It's also worth remembering the opponent. BU is 1-4-1 and managed 42 shots across the two games.
Voters moved Colgate up one spot, to eighth in the USCHO poll. Ohio State is first for a second straight week.
What Ohio State brings
The Buckeyes have outshot their opponents 299-189 through eight games, an average of 37.4 shots a night against 23.6. This is their third straight top-10 opponent. They swept Wisconsin, then split at Minnesota, losing 6-2 and winning a 6-5 track meet the next night.
Mira Jungåker has 16 points in eight games, the most of any defender in the country. Joy Dunne has eight goals, including a hat trick at Minnesota that moved her into second on the program's career list with 87. Hilda Svensson has the winner in four of their seven wins.
The history leans heavily toward Columbus. Ohio State leads the series 7-2-2 and has won five of the last six, including a 5-0 game last season.
The matchup
Colgate's goalies are going to see more rubber on Friday than they saw all weekend at BU. If the Raiders can keep the shot count under 35 and stay out of the box against a power play that Dunne and Svensson both feed, they have a chance to steal one.
Ohio State's only loss was a 6-2 night at Minnesota, against an opponent that can match its offensive talent. Colgate has won with defense and patience so far, and that approach usually travels better than people expect.
The call: Ohio State wins Friday comfortably. Colgate takes Saturday in a one-goal game, and the Raiders stay in the top 10 on Monday with a reason to be there.
