This year’s women’s Frozen Four, held in University Park, Pa., provided some serious entertainment for hockey fans nationwide. The University of Wisconsin, Ohio State University, Northeastern University and Penn State University made up the final four teams. After several hard-fought games the tournament concluded with Wisconsin securing its second straight tournament victory, and ninth in program history, with a 3-2 victory over Ohio State.
The first of the two semi-final games was between the No. 1 seed Ohio State Buckeyes and the No. 5 seed Northeastern Huskies. From the opening puck drop, the Buckeyes imposed their will, limiting Northeastern’s offensive chances while capitalizing on key scoring opportunities. Ohio State’s structure in the neutral zone frustrated the Huskies, who struggled to generate sustained pressure or clean entries into the attacking zone. By the end of the first period, the game had practically been decided, and the Buckeyes came away with a 5-0 blowout victory.
The second of the two games, between the No. 3 seed Penn State Nittany Lions and the No. 2 seed Wisconsin Badgers, proved to be an exciting match. Tension mounted throughout the entire game, peaking only in the third period. With time winding down, Lions forward Tessa Janecke delivered her second goal of the game, tying the contest at 3–3 and sending the crowd into a frenzy as the game headed to overtime.
Overtime is where the Badgers’ championship experience proved to be an advantage. Just 50 seconds in, forward Kirsten Simms scored a dramatic goal on the power-play, sending the Badgers to another Frozen Four final.
A Wisconsin-Ohio final is a familiar and thrilling sight that held up to fans’ expectations. This marked the fourth straight season that Wisconsin and Ohio State met with the national championship on the line — a testament to both teams’ sustained excellence on the ice over the past decade.
From the opening period, Wisconsin set the tone. The Badgers continued scoring goals, jumping out to an early lead and forcing the Buckeyes to play from behind. However, Ohio State refused to go quietly, exemplifying the grit they had shown all season.
As the first period wore on, the Buckeyes generated more and more chances with their physical play, despite being a couple of goals down. Leaning on stars Joy Dunne and Makenna Webster to spark their offense, the Buckeyes were able to equalize the game at two goals a piece after several minutes in the offensive zone, with the goals coming from Kassidy Carmichael and Jocelyn Amos.
Nearly two full periods of gritty gameplay later, Wisconsin’s Claire Enright cleaned up a loose puck in front of the net, breaking the game’s long tie and the hearts of Buckeye fans. This lead would hold for the remainder of the game.
With just minutes remaining, Ohio State tried, relentlessly, for an equalizer, but it was to no avail. In the end, Wisconsin remained the more composed team, backed by standout performances throughout the tournament, including a Most Outstanding Player effort from goaltender Ava McNaughton.
Wisconsin’s victory also marked another chapter in what has become a growing rivalry in recent years between the Badgers and the Buckeyes. For Wisconsin, though, dominance remains, as in those past four championship finals between the two teams, they have won three to Ohio State’s one.
