The No. 2 Gophers throttled Ohio State 4-1 in the first game of their final series before the break.
Goalie Noora Raty made 27 saves on the afternoon and Minnesota used a barrage of first-period goals to jump out to a commanding lead that was never in doubt.
“We did a good job of jumping on them early,” head coach Brad Frost said. “I thought Noora (Raty) might have had one of her better games of the year tonight.
The Gophers capitalized on an early Ohio State penalty to nab a 1-0 lead just 3:16 into the game.
Freshman defenseman Rachel Ramsey fielded a pass from Anne Schleper in transition and fired a wrist shot past Buckeyes goalie Lisa Steffes with just three seconds remaining on the power play.
Less than 30 seconds later, freshman forward Rachael Bona gave Minnesota a 2-0 lead with her third goal of the season.
Emily West tacked on the Gophers’ third goal of the period just 1:14 later and Minnesota held a 3-0 lead going into the first intermission.
Amanda Kessel fielded a slick pass from defenseman Megan Bozek and scored her team-leading 19th goal 3:12 into the second frame.
Danielle Gagne got OSU on the board later in the period when her slapshot beat Raty, but Minnesota’s defense nullified the Buckeyes’ attack for the rest of the game.
Sophomore forward Kelly Terry left the game after the first period with an undisclosed injury. She did not return and is questionable for tomorrow’s 2:07 p.m. contest.