The Mercyhurst women's ice hockey team welcomes non-conference opponent Ohio State for a two-games series Dec. 15-16 at Mercyhurst Ice Center. Friday's game begins at 7 p.m. with Saturday's contest starting on 2 p.m.
 
Last Time They Met
Mercyhurst and Ohio State last played each other back on Nov. 11, 2014. Mercyhurst came away with a 3-0 road shutout, with Sarah Robello scoring a power-play goal in the second period to start the scoring. Jennifer MacAskill added an assist in the third period.
 
All-Time Series
The Lakers lead the all-time series 3-1 and hold a +4-goal differential (10-6). All games played between these teams starting back in the 2002-03 season have been single game affairs as opposed to series matchups. The teams split their two matchups at Mercyhurst Ice Center, with the Buckeyes winning the most recent game 4-3 on Oct. 5, 2013.
 
Laker Outlook
The Lakers earned their first two-win sweep of the season last weekend against CHA-foe Syracuse. The Lakers handidly took game one 4-1 on Friday before mounting a comeback effort to win 2-1 in overtime Saturday afternoon. These two games mark the final games of the 2017 calendar year for the Lakers. Their next matchup will be at Bemidji State Jan. 2-3. Mercyhurst improved to 3-1 in the month of the December with last weekend's sweep of Syracuse. The Lakers are now 12-6-3 since the 2013-14 season in December games.
 
Blair Doubles Up
Redshirt freshman goaltender Kennedy Blair was named College Hockey America's goaltender of the week for the second week in a row last weekend after picking up two wins against Syracuse. In her two-week run, she is 3-1 with a 1.00 goals-against average and a .959 save percentage.
 
Century Mark In Site
Should senior defenseman Callie Paddock play in one game this weekend, it will be her 100th career game played with the Lakers. Paddock would join fellow seniors Brooke Hartwick (123 games played) and Jennifer MacAskill (121) as the only current Lakers with 100 games played.
 
Common Opponents
The Lakers and Buckeyes have faced several of the same teams this season including Wisconsin, Minnesota, Robert Morris, and RPI. Mercyhurst record against the team's Ohio State has faced this season is 2-6, while Ohio State is 4-3-1. Mercyhurst has yet to play Ohio State conference opponent Bemidji State and Ohio State is scheduled to play CHA-foe Penn State later this season.
 
Scouting the Buckeyes
Ohio State enters the series ranked 7th in the USCHO.com poll and 6th in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls. It is the tenth week in a row the Buckeyes have been ranked in both polls, with their first appearance being back on Oct. 10.
 
Ohio State currently ranks third in the WCHA behind Wisconsin and Minnesota with an 8-2-4 conference record and 31 points. Overall, the Buckeyes have a +13-goal differential (57-40) and rank tenth in the nation in scoring margin per game (+0.94).
 
Ohio State Players To Watch
-Redshirt junior goaltender Kassidy Suave: 9-3-4, 2.21 GAA, .928 SV%
-Freshman forward Emma Maltais: 8G, 15A, 23 PTS (3^rd nationally among freshmen)
-Freshman forward Tatum Scaggs: Team-high 12G, 2PPG