MENDOTA HEIGHTS, Minn. (Interstat) — Hilda Svensson had two goals and two assists, and Ohio State used a fast start and a late answer to beat St. Thomas 5-2 in a women’s NCAA Division I hockey game at St. Thomas Ice Arena on Saturday. The Buckeyes improved to 4-0, while the Tommies dropped to 2-2. Attendance was 554.

Ohio State struck 1:12 into the first period when Jenna Raunio scored off assists from Joy Dunne and Svensson. Raunio was called for elbowing at 12:01, and Jocelyn Amos received a roughing penalty at 14:32, but the Buckeyes weathered the early special-teams work. Ohio State made it 2-0 at 19:37 when Dunne scored from Svensson and Mira Jungåker. Rowan Houweling was steady in net for the Buckeyes and finished with 18 saves on 20 shots. The Buckeyes held a two-goal lead after the opening period despite the two penalties.

The Buckeyes extended the lead early in the second period. Svensson scored at 24:44 from Jungåker and Kassidy Carmichael for a 3-0 advantage. Maxine Cimoroni then scored at 25:27 from Sydney Sawyer and Raunio to make it 4-0. St. Thomas broke through at 29:14 when JuliAnna Gazdik scored from Whitney Horton. The period also included a tripping penalty on St. Thomas forward Grace McCoshen at 23:20, a tripping call on Carmichael at 38:15 and a roughing penalty on Raunio at 40:00. Ohio State carried a 4-1 lead into the third.

St. Thomas gained momentum in the third. Whitney Horton scored at 53:30 from Gazdik and Ella Boerger to cut the deficit to 4-2. The Tommies had a pair of overlapping penalties at 43:37, when Jenessa Gazdik and Carmichael were sent off for roughing. Carmichael also received a crosschecking penalty at 53:23. Ohio State sealed the result at 59:40 when Svensson scored from Jungåker, restoring a three-goal cushion and finishing the scoring. The Tommies’ late push made it a two-goal game, but Ohio State responded in the final minute.

Svensson, a left wing from Oskarshamn, Sweden, who previously played at Sandagymnasiet, finished with two goals, two assists, three shots on goal and one hit. Dunne, a right wing who previously played at The Fulton School, had one goal, one assist and three shots. Jungåker, a right defenseman, recorded three assists and five shots. Raunio, a right defenseman who also previously played at Sandagymnasiet, added one goal, one assist, two shots and four penalty minutes. Cimoroni, a left wing from Bishop Strachan School, scored once and had two shots. Houweling earned the win with her 18-save performance and recorded her first victory of the season.

For St. Thomas, Horton, a left wing from Edina High School, had one goal, one assist, two shots and one hit. Gazdik, a left defenseman from Gentry Academy, added one goal, one assist and two shots. Kate Viel had three shots for Ohio State, while Amos, a 5-7 center from Medway, finished with one shot and two penalty minutes. The teams combined for eight minor penalties, with Ohio State whistled six times and St. Thomas twice. Ohio State’s win came one day after it also defeated St. Thomas by the same score, and the Buckeyes have now started the season with four straight wins.

The Tommies had opened the season with two wins over New Hampshire before dropping two straight to Ohio State. Ohio State had swept Penn State in its opening series, winning both games by 2-1, including an overtime decision. Svensson also had a goal and an assist in the first meeting with St. Thomas this season. The Buckeyes will next host Wisconsin, while St. Thomas will travel to Minnesota-Duluth.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Ohio State 5, St. Thomas 1. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Ohio State with a 91.5 percent probability to win.