Final flight to Columbus caps road schedule

Earlier in the season, the Gophers women’s hockey team had trouble finding consistency on the road in WCHA play. Minnesota, which is undefeated at home, split road series with Wisconsin, Bemidji State, North Dakota and Minnesota-Duluth.

But after picking up sweeps at Minnesota State and St. Cloud State in successive weekends, the No. 2 Gophers have found harmony away from home. That’s something they’ll hope to take to Columbus when they square off with Ohio State in their final road series of the season.

“This past weekend I thought we played really well and hard and consistent for 120 minutes of hockey,” head coach Brad Frost said. “That’s something we’ve struggled with just on the road.”

Frost also expressed a degree of relief in the conclusion of the road schedule.

“I think the biggest thing is that it’s showing that it’s the end of the year. We’re in an important time, needing to continue to win some hockey games,” he said. “If all goes well in the playoffs, we’re going to be on the road anyways.”

Unlike the last two weekends, however, Minnesota (24-4-2, 18-4-2 WCHA) will have to fly — for just the second time this season — 760 miles to Ohio State’s campus.

“Sometimes it takes a lot of energy out of your body when you’re taking a lot of time to fly to places,” defender Baylee Gillanders said. “We’re flying out Thursday so then we can get our legs ready for Friday’s game.”

Then, they’ll tango with the Buckeyes, who are fighting for playoff positioning in the WCHA Tournament.

Ohio State’s 38 points (15-11-4, 12-11-1 WCHA) have it tied for fourth in the conference with Minnesota-Duluth.

The two teams did battle last weekend and came out with a split. Buckeyes star forward Natalie Spooner, one of the top goal-scorers in the conference, found the net three times and accounted for six of her team’s points.

“Whenever she’s on the ice, you’ve got to be aware of her and her whereabouts,” Gillanders said. “If she gets the puck, she’s going to get chances. It’s better if you always know where she is so you can shut her down.”

The Gophers swept Ohio State earlier in the year, and with more stellar play as of late, they have virtually locked up the No. 2 seed. The only way Minnesota could drop a place in the standings is if it lost the rest of its games and North Dakota won out.

The Gophers have suffered just one loss since Dec. 10 and will be looking for their third straight sweep.

Despite all that, they’re still trailing No. 1 Wisconsin by six points, and the Badgers have a date with conference cellar dweller St. Cloud State this weekend.

Gophers forward Stephanie Anderson credited the team’s success to its improved chemistry and said that Minnesota players “are always doing something together off the ice.”

This weekend, they’ll be back on the ice, and Frost expects their opponent to put up a better fight this time around.

“They’re a very tough beat at home. … They’ve improved throughout the year,” he said. “It’s going to be very tough there.”

Frost has made a habit this season of talking up bad teams before laying the hurt on them.