Senior goaltender Raygan Kirk and graduate forward Kelsey King hug after Ohio State’s WCHA regular season title-clinching win on Feb. 17. Thirty-six days later, Kirk recorded a shutout in the Buckeyes’ 1-0 national championship win against Wisconsin. Credit: Aiden Ridgway | Lantern Photographer
Revenge is a dish best served cold — and the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes got theirs on the ice on Sunday.
The Buckeyes women’s ice hockey team became national champions for the second time in three years with a 1-0 victory against the Wisconsin Badgers at the Whittemore Center in Durham, New Hampshire. It was a rematch of last season’s national championship and this year’s conference title game, both of which Wisconsin won.
“You have these visions throughout the year, but when it really happens, it seems so surreal,” Ohio State head coach Nadine Muzerall said. “I was very proud of how they punched back after a tough loss the last time we played against Wisconsin. I think it showed a lot of character of not letting that get to them on the high stage.”
In a game between the two highest-scoring teams in the NCAA, there were 52 straight minutes of goalless action.
Then, Joy Dunne stepped up.
The freshman forward and national Rookie of the Year scored the decisive goal by ripping a wrist shot into the top-left corner of Wisconsin’s net. It was her sixth goal in the postseason and second at the Frozen Four.
“I’ve been working on that shot forever,” Dunne said. “Great linemates set me up for a great pass to just take a shot. It took so much work to get there, but I think having my team and my coaches and my family and Jesus believe in me, I think that’s really what gave me the confidence to just go out and play.”
Dunne’s goal came seconds after a potential disaster for the Buckeyes. Wisconsin won a defensive zone faceoff after calling timeout, and sent a stretch pass to an open Britta Curl on the other end of the ice.
Graduate defenseman and second team All-American Cayla Barnes tracked Curl down to make a steal that prevented a Badger breakaway. She then sent a pass to graduate forward Hannah Bilka, who carried the puck into the offensive zone and found Dunne open on the right wing.
“She desperately was so thirsty for a national championship and for her to want that so bad and when you itch for something so much, sometimes you can be not composed and little rattled, but she was so responsible back there,” Muzerall said about Barnes. “She just has such a high IQ and a great vision of the ice. She knows to move it fast and be simple with the plays and then move on.”
In addition to Barnes’ play, senior goaltender and Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player Raygan Kirk defined Ohio State’s defensive success in her last game as a Buckeye. Kirk made 26 saves in the shutout, including one-on-one denials of Patty Kazmaier Award finalists Kirsten Simms and Casey O’Brien in the span of 29 seconds at the end of the second period.
Kirk said playing in front of a 4,378-person crowd — the third-largest in women’s national championship history — gave her the confidence to have a big performance.
“The environment was awesome today,” Kirk said. “I kind of thrived off that, and you have to have a little bit of swagger too, especially after the last time we played them. I was having the time of my life out there and you just have to remember, it’s just a hockey game.”
The last time Ohio State faced Wisconsin, the Buckeyes conceded six goals in Western Collegiate Hockey Association tournament championship loss. Going into the national title game, Muzerall’s focus was on keeping the Badger offense at bay.
After her players blocked 17 shots and held Wisconsin to 13 shots fewer than its per-game average, Muzerall said the defense showed up.
“We knew it was going to be a tough challenge because they have so much offensive power, Muzerall said. “We focused on their transition side of the game and not giving up odd-man rushes and controlling the neutral zone. We were getting our chances, as were they, but I’m very proud of their defensive side of the game today.”
Before the national championship, Muzerall said she was looking to add to the Buckeyes’ legacy with a second NCAA title. Now, she said avoiding complacency will be key.
“The peak of the mountain is very small because not many people can stand there for very long,” Muzerall said. “Legacies obviously take time. Two is fantastic and we want to push to three and more, but it’s going to take continued time and effort, because you don’t want to be part of history, you want to continue to push in the future.”
