No. 1 Ohio State was shut out for the first time this season and lost 1-0 to Wisconsin in the women’s ice hockey national championship in Duluth, Minnesota, Sunday. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor
No. 1 Ohio State was shut out for the first time this season and lost 1-0 to Wisconsin in the women’s ice hockey national championship in Duluth, Minnesota, Sunday.
Head coach Nadine Muzerall and the defending-champion Buckeyes (33-5-2, 23-4-1 Western Collegiate Hockey Association) returned to the Frozen Four for the third-straight season. Wisconsin freshman forward Kirsten Simms scored in the first period, and the Buckeyes were blanked for the first time since a 1-0 home loss to Minnesota Duluth Jan. 21, 2022.
Simms took a pass between the circles from Badgers freshman forward Claire Enright and netted the puck past junior goaltender Amanda Thiele at 6:32 in the first period.
The Buckeyes outshot Wisconsin 16-5 and held a 13-7 advantage in faceoffs after the first period. Ohio State had a 22-16 shot margin over the Badgers (28-10-2, 19-7-2 WCHA) entering the final period.
Muzerall and Ohio State emptied the net a little over one minute remaining, and the Buckeyes were held to one shot in the final 30 seconds. Wisconsin won the final faceoff with 2.3 seconds left to seal the game.
Badgers head coach Mark Johnson, whose 594 career wins are the most in NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey history, and Wisconsin won its seventh national championship and third in five seasons.
Senior forward Brooke Bink took one of Ohio State’s nine third-period shots from the right circle with 9:20 left to play, and Wisconsin redshirt senior goaltender Cami Kronish positioned herself for the save and preserved the shutout.
Kronish finished with 31 saves, including 11 in the second period.
Muzerall and Ohio State claimed the No. 1 overall seed for the second straight season. The Buckeyes appeared in the Frozen Four for the fourth time under Muzerall.
Thiele made 21 saves, and 16 of which came in the opening period.
Graduate defenseman Sophie Jaques, who received the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award given to the top player in NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey Saturday, finished her Buckeye career with a team high-tying six shots.
Senior forward Jennifer Gardiner also had six shots while graduate forward Emma Maltais went 20-34 in faceoff battles.
Ohio State won 30 games in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history. Muzerall and the Buckeyes advanced to the WCHA Final Faceoff championship game for the fourth-consecutive year.
