The Gophers didn't wait long. Adrianna Milani scored unassisted 14 seconds into Friday's game, and No. 3 Minnesota led the rest of the way in a 6-2 win over No. 1 Ohio State. It was the Buckeyes' first loss of the season.
Madison Kaiser made it 2-0 at 3:49 of the first period, with Ashley Allard getting the assist. Then Chloe Primerano scored on the power play with 5 seconds left in the period, so Minnesota took a 3-0 lead into the first intermission against the best team in the country.
Milani added another less than 3 minutes into the second period, also on the power play, for a 4-0 lead. Ohio State finally scored when Joy Dunne converted on a power play to make it 4-1, and Jenna Raunio later cut it to 4-2.
Minnesota answered both. Allard scored at even strength at 15:36 of the third period for a 5-2 lead, and Kaiser got her second of the night on the power play at 17:52 to finish the scoring. That's 2 multi-goal nights for Minnesota. Allard had a goal and set up Kaiser's opener. The program credited strong special teams and a fast start for the win.
The win moves the Gophers to 5-0 and drops Ohio State to 6-1. It also continues last October's series against the Buckeyes. Then, No. 3 Minnesota lost the opener to No. 2 Ohio State and came back the next day to win the finale 6-3.
This time the Gophers have the Friday win, and the series finishes Saturday, Oct. 17, at 2 p.m. CT. Ohio State will be trying for a split. Minnesota can sweep the No. 1 team in the country and stay unbeaten.
Ohio State's own recap of the opener is here:
