U Weekly. Serving The Ohio State University in Columbus Ohio

Youth movement

By Andrew Joseph

There won't be anyone on the Ohio State women's hockey team who will discount the impact that experience has on a team as it weathers a long season. There also won't be anyone who will dismiss the impact a freshman can have on a club.

This season, Ohio State's offense has been generated in a large part by underclassmen. Leading the way in points scored is freshman Hokey Langan. Langan tied the record for points and goals in a single game last Friday against Bemidji State. Langan is just the second player in school history to score four goals, and is only the fourth Buckeye to score five points in a single game. Langan is followed in points by Natalie Spooner and Laura McIntosh, both sophomores.

"I'm just trying to help the team out, doing the little things," Langan said, "We're at a really long, hard stretch in the season.

Langan has received attention throughout the league, receiving conference rookie of the week honors earlier in the season.

"She's had a breakout freshman year, she's one of the top players in the league," said head coach Jackie Barto.

While Langan's offensive efforts pop off the state sheet, she is improving defensively as well. "She's really improved defensively, so much that she's getting time on our penalty kill. She really takes a lot of responsibility and pride in that," Barto said.

Another freshman, Minttu Tuominen, is having an impact not just at OSU, but also on the world stage. Tuominen will miss the remainder of OSU's regular season when she travels to Vancouver to compete in the Olympics with her native Finland. Finland is currently ranked third in the world, behind the United States and Canada.

Tuominen said she hasn't been caught looking ahead to the Olympics, and has focused on her team in Columbus. She added that she hopes to learn from other, more experienced players during her time in Vancouver.

"Individually she's playing at the highest caliber of women's hockey she can play. She's going to grow tremendously as a player being in that situation. It's going to speak volumes for our program also. We have a representative who is going to wear the colors of Team Finland and compete in the Olympics - it's great for recruiting and it's great for the program," Barto said.

While OSU will miss Tuominen as the team prepares for the post season, they will rely on the entire team to finish strong.

"It's the depth of your program and being able to be resilient, and dealing with (player) losses. It's going to be exciting hockey the next four weeks," Barto said.

Only having three seniors has forced young team members to step into critical roles early in their careers at Ohio State.

"We are excited about everyone in our program. We're learning everyday about ourselves. Youth is very good," she said.

Ohio State will host seventh-ranked Wisconsin at 7:07 p.m. Friday and 3:07 p.m. Saturday at the OSU Ice Rink. Admission is free.

Originally Published: January 27, 2010

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