Nicole's NCAA Notebook: October 7, 2024

• There were two pivotal coaches challenges this weekend. Ohio State was down 2-1 to St. Lawrence at the midpoint of the third period when Nadine Muzerall challenged a call that Jocelyn Amos' shot had not crossed the goal line. The goal was called good, tying the game and eventually forcing overtime. OSU won the game seven seconds into OT. After an opening weekend sweep by UMD, another loss to a lower ranked team would have been a blow to the Buckeyes.
  
  Minnesota's Brad Frost challenged a call against Boston University's Riley Walsh after she and Abbey Murphy got into it after a play where they were both digging for the puck along the BU bench. The call was changed to a major penalty for contact to the head with game misconduct. The game was scoreless with just 1:38 left on clock at that point. Just :18 later, Murphy scored the game's lone goal and game-winner. In retrospect, she may have scored on a regular power play, but it would be difficult to deny the boost of the major penalty and knowing it would carry well into the overtime period.
  
• BU's Riley Walsh lost her cool and essentially cost her team at minimum a point and possibly the game on Friday. She needs to learn not to let her emotions get the better of her, not to be hotheaded and to not get baited into retaliation. But I also hope she gets the support to be able to let is go and move on without carrying a bunch of guilt. Mistakes happen.
  
• UConn earned an important early-season win over a non-conference, ranked opponent with a massive come-from-behind victory over Penn State on Friday. The Huskies scored three times in ten minutes and senior captain Ava Rinker assisted on each of the goals to give the Huskies a 3-2 win, their only so far this season.
  
• On Saturday, Robert Morris raced out to a 3-0 lead by the opening two minutes of the second period. Bemidji State fought back, scoring three straight of their own to force overtime. RMU ended it on a heck of a goal from Thalia D'Elia (check below). An interesting game of swings and great resilience from both teams - BSU for coming back from three down to force overtime and RMU for not getting dejected by losing their lead and still getting the OT win.
  
• Seven teams are still perfect on the penalty kill - New Hampshire, Providence, RIT, St. Cloud State. St. Lawrence, Syracuse and Wisconsin.
  
• Two teams have yet to give up a goal of any kind - Providence and Syracuse.
  
• There were six shorthanded goals this weekend - Penn State's Tessa Janecke, UMD's Mary Kate O'Brien, Wisconsin's Laila Edwards, Minnesota State's Kamryn Van Batavia, Providence's Audrey Knapp and Robert Morris' Calli Arnold.
  
• The Minnesota/BU series had a penalty shot called in each game of the series - one for BU on Friday where Skylar Vetter made a great save on Lilli Welcke and one for the Gophers on Sunday where Abbey Murphy converted Minnesota's first penalty shot since the 2012 National Championship game when Emily West beat Wisconsin's Alex (Rigsby) Cavallini with what would prove to be the game-winner.
  
• Goals you need to see:

Minnesota's Abbey Murphy with the cheekiest penalty shot

• Robert Morris' Thalia D'Elia with the diving overtime game-winner

• Abby Hustler's pass and Aly McLeod's goal for St. Lawrence

• Tessa Janecke's shorthander for Penn State