The No. 2 Minnesota women’s hockey team started the second half of the season on the right note, sweeping No. 10 Ohio State in Ridder Arena over the weekend. Friday’s game ended at 5-2, while Saturday’s ended with the Gophers on top 6-0.

It took the entire first period of Friday’s game for the Gophers to shake off the cobwebs, as Minnesota went into the locker room down 2-1 at the end of the first.

But the Gophers came firing back, scoring four unanswered goals to end the game. Five different Gophers tallied a goal in the win. 

The Gophers were playing without freshman standout Noora Raty over the weekend, as she takes a leave from the team to compete with the Finnish National team in preparation for the Olympics.

Sophomore Alyssa Grogan handled the role change well, and didn’t allow a goal after the first period of Friday’s game. She had 26 saves in the shutout on Saturday.

Saturday saw the Gophers dominate from start to finish, with sophomore Anne Schleper leading the way with two goals. 

Freshman Katie Frischmann scored her first goal of her career at 7:55 in the second. Sophomore Sarah Erickson had a career-high four assists in the victory. 

The Gophers will take on Team USA in an exhibition match on Jan. 12 at Ridder Arena. The game is slated for 7:00 p.m.