University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
18-1-0, 12-1-0
Ohio State
5-10-2, 2-9-2
Bona Nets Hat Trick in 9-2 Win Over OSU
12/7/2013 12:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
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Dec. 7, 2013
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Junior Rachael Bona (Coon Rapids, Minn.) scored the first hat trick of her Gopher career to lead the top-ranked Minnesota women's hockey team to a 9-2 win over Ohio State at the OSU Ice Rink Saturday evening.
Eight Gophers had multiple points in the win led by Bona, who added an assist to her hat trick for four points. Sophomore Maryanne Menefee (Lansing, Mich.) and freshman Dani Cameranesi (Plymouth, Minn.) each scored two goals, and senior Sarah Davis (Paradise, N.L.) had three assists.
No. 1 Minnesota (18-1-0, 12-1-0 WCHA) scored nine goals for the second time in as many games as the Gophers held a 35-26 advantage in shots on goal over the Buckeyes.
"Just a great win," head coach Brad Frost said. "We started a little sluggishly, and Amanda Leveille kept us in it for the first probably seven minutes and made some great saves. Once we got that first one, things started to roll.
"I still think we can play better. The pucks went in tonight, so the score is a little deceiving. We'll be ready to go tomorrow, and overall it was a great win. We hope to finish the first half on a good note tomorrow."
The Buckeyes recorded the first seven shots before the Gophers jumped out to a 3-0 first-period lead on goals by Meghan Lorence (Mounds View, Minn.), Bona and Menefee. OSU held a 9-7 advantage in shots during the opening frame.
Lorence opened the scoring at the 12:02 mark of the first when she and Davis broke into the OSU zone on a two-on-one. Lorence centered it to Davis, who quickly one-timed it back to her linemate, and Lorence beat OSU goaltender Chelsea Knapp on the right side to give the Gophers a 1-0 lead.
Bona made it 2-0 just 22 seconds later, beating Knapp glove-side. She buried a feed from Davis, who found Bona on a pass from behind the OSU net.
Menefee extended the lead to 3-0 with 1:18 remaining in the period. Sophomore Brook Garzone (Sand Springs, Okla.) sent the puck into the OSU zone where Hannah Brandt (Vadnais Heights, Minn.) controlled it and left it for Menefee at the top of the circle. Menefee then netted her sixth goal of the season.
Ohio State (5-10-2, 2-9-2-0 WCHA) trimmed the Gophers' lead to two at 3-1 at the 6:23 mark of the second period when Cara Zubko scored her first of the season. However, Minnesota responded with two more goals of its own to take a 5-1 lead into the second intermission.
Cameranesi scored her first career short-handed goal at 9:37 when she buried a feed from senior Kelly Terry (Whitby, Ont.). The goal was Minnesota's third short-handed goal of the season. Menefee added her second goal of the game at 14:01 of the middle frame.
The floodgates opened in the third period as Minnesota added four more goals, including two from Bona to complete her hat trick. Cameranesi and Brandt each scored on the power play in the third. The Buckeyes scored their second goal of the game with just five seconds remaining when Alexa Ranahan solved Leveille on a four-on-three power play.
Minnesota was 2-for-5 on the power play while holding Ohio State to 1-for-7 with the man advantage.
Leveille made 24 saves in her 21st career win (21-1-0), and OSU's Knapp had 26 saves while falling to 2-6-1 on the season.
With the win, the Gophers extended their road winning streak to 38-straight games. Minnesota has won 41 consecutive games away from Ridder Arena, including three neutral-site games, dating back to Jan. 14, 2012.
The Gophers and Buckeyes wrap up the series at 11 a.m. CT Sunday morning. The game marks Minnesota's final outing of 2013 as the team resumes play by hosting Ohio State at Ridder Arena Jan. 10-11, 2014.
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