No. 3 Gophers women's hockey set to face No. 1 Ohio State at Ridder Arena

GOPHERS WOMEN'S HOCKEY GAMEDAY

6 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday vs. Ohio State

Streamed on BTN Plus

Gophers update: No. 3 Minnesota (22-3-2, 19-1-2 WCHA, 59 points) is coming off a 3-1, 4-3 road sweep of Minnesota Duluth, which extended the Gophers' winning streak to 12 games. They hold a two-point lead over Ohio State in the WCHA standings, having secured four of six points from a 4-2 win and 4-4 tie (plus shootout loss) vs. the Buckeyes on Oct. 28-29 in Columbus. … Senior forwards Grace Zumwinkle (20 goals, 27 assists, 47 points) and Taylor Heise (21-26-47) are tied for second nationally in scoring. Heise leads the nation in goals, while Zumwinkle's eight game-winners are most in the land. Sophomore forward Abbey Murphy (18-18-36) and senior forward Abigail Boreen (18-11-29) supply complementary scoring.

Buckeyes update: No. 1 Ohio State (24-2-2, 19-2-1, 57 points) swept Minnesota State Mankato 6-2, 4-2 last weekend, running its winning streak to 10 games. The defending NCAA champion Buckeyes average 4.5 goals per game, second in the nation to Minnesota's 4.96. Their power play is the nation's best at 33.7% (27-for-80). Senior Sophie Jacques (19-18-37) paces the nation's defensemen in scoring and goals, while senior forward Jennifer Gardiner (16-26-42) is tied for fourth in scoring. Junior Amanda Thiele (12-1-1, 1.94, .895) and senior Raygan Kirk (8-1-1, 1.83, .919) have shared the starts in goal. The Buckeyes, coached by former Gophers standout and assistant coach Nadine Muzerall, have eight Minnesotans on their roster.