On March 12, 2022, the Quinnipiac women’s ice hockey team fell 4-3 in double overtime against Ohio State to be eliminated in the NCAA Regional Final. 364 days later, the Bobcats are in the same game, in the same place, but this time No. 1 Ohio State is the reigning national champion. 

The biggest factor in this game is the rest disparity between the two teams. Quinnipiac is coming off a thrilling 3OT win against Penn State, but in doing so, they played 109 minutes on the ice. Ohio State on the other hand hasn’t played in almost a week, coming off a 3-1 loss to Minnesota in the WCHA Championship. 

The Buckeyes are definitely going to have more in the tank come Saturday which makes graduate student goaltender Logan Angers all the more important. Angers tallied a career-high 50 saves on Thursday night, slamming the door shut on the Nittany Lions and allowing Quinnipiac to escape with a win. 

Ohio State has some firepower of its own with graduate student defenseman Sophie Jaques, who was named a top-three finalist for this year’s Patty Kazmaier Memorial award. The award is given to the top player in Division I women’s hockey. Coming off a record breaking 2021-22, Jaques continues to dominate, posting a career-high 22 goals this season. Jaques certainly did her part in sending the Bobcats home last year as she tallied a goal and an assist in the 2022 Regional Final. 

For Quinnipiac to match up with the potent Buckeye offense, it is going to need production across the board. Junior forward Olivia Mobley is the team’s leading point scorer, while sophomore forward Maya Labad leads the team in goals. Freshman forward Madison Chantler is another key piece for the Bobcats who proved she performs best when the lights are brightest, delivering the knockout blow to Penn State Thursday. 

No matter how you look at it, Quinnipiac will have its hands full when the puck is dropped Saturday at 5 p.m. If last year proved anything however, it was that the Bobcats can hang around with the defending national champions.