The Gophers womenâÄôs hockey team has a flair for the dramatic when it plays Ohio State.

Down 1-0 midway through their Dec. 11 game against the Buckeyes, Minnesota tied the game late in the third period and eventually won the game in overtime to complete a sweep.

They won in similar fashion Friday in Columbus, storming back from a third-period deficit with three goals to win 4-2.

But Saturday, the Gophers switched from classic sports comeback to Fourth of July fireworks show.

Minnesota took potential drama out of SaturdayâÄôs game almost immediately, steamrolling OSU with a three-goal first period and a four-goal second, on its way to an 8-1 win.

Nine different players recorded a point in SaturdayâÄôs game, as the Gophers finished off the regular season sweep of the Buckeyes in commanding fashion.

While the weekend seemed like an offensive eruption, the Gophers struggled offensively for the first two periods Friday, remaining scoreless until freshman Amanda Kessel tied the game at one late in the second. After OSU took a 2-1 lead early in the third, the Gophers offense finally awoke.

Junior Sarah Erickson scored her first goal of the weekend midway through the period, and the GophersâÄô defense took over the scoring from there. Sophomore Megan Bozek gave the Gophers the lead 2:20 later, and junior Anne Schleper gave the Gophers a 4-2 lead, completing the three-goal-in-2:40 stretch.

While the Gophers wound up with a decisive win, their performance wasnâÄôt what they had hoped for. âÄúI donâÄôt think any of our players were real happy with how we played on Friday,âÄù Frost said. âÄúWe played a very good third period and were rewarded for it. We just wanted to come out [Saturday] and establish our fore check and get pucks deep and really try and set the tone early, and we were fortunate, because of that, to get a few goals early.âÄù

Freshmen Kessel and Kelly Terry each scored unassisted goals early in the first, and senior Terra Rasmussen broke through with her first goal of the season late in the period, giving the Gophers a 3-0 lead.

But the Gophers were just getting started.

The Gophers scored four goals in the second period, despite managing just 10 shots on goal.

After a scoreless night Friday, the line of freshmen Sarah Davis and Terry and sophomore Becky Kortum found their groove Saturday, leading the Gophers with a three-goal, six-assist evening.

Terry scored the first goal of the bloodbath, 4:52 through the first period, sliding an unassisted shot past OSU goalie Lisa Steffes. Kortum added a goal in both the second and the third, and Davis added four assists.

The game represented a rebirth for the line, which had scored only once in the past three games.

âÄúItâÄôs just one of those games where things happened for us,âÄù Davis said. âÄúIt was easy to make plays.âÄù