Wisconsin, Ohio State advance to NCAA women’s national championship game…again

Here we go again.

For the third year in a row, the NCAA Women’s D-I National Championship will be decided between two WCHA rivals–the Ohio State Buckeyes and Wisconsin Badgers.

Badgering the Gophers

While the scoreboard told one story, the Badgers didn’t have an easy time advancing to the final. They were tasked with facing border rival Minnesota for the sixth time this season in the semifinals. It was a very chippy affair, with U.S. National Team teammates Caroline Harvey, Abbey Murphy, and Kirsten Simms taking liberties with each other throughout the contest.

Yet, it didn’t slow down Wisconsin’s vaunted offensive attack despite the Gophers striking first. All three Patty Kazmaier Award finalists found the back of the net, including junior Laila Edwards, who scored a hat trick to power the Badgers to a 6-2 victory.

With her performance, Edwards surpassed Murphy for the NCAA lead in goals, as the reigning IIHF Women’s World Championship MVP has 34 tallies on the year.

Harvey, who briefly left the game after taking a nasty hit from Murphy, returned to pot a goal and three assists, while Casey O’Brien ended up with a three-point night as well.

O’Brien admitted the composure of the team is what helps set them apart from the rest of the pack.

“I think just the way that when we go down like nobody’s panicking,” O’Brien told Blake Bolden on the ESPN broadcast after the win.” Nobody’s getting frustrated. We all know that we can do it, that we can come back. The vibes in the locker room are just unreal from top to bottom. So it’s a really special thing to be a part of.”

Simms also scored and picked up an assist for Wisconsin in the victory.

In a battle of young netminders, Wisconsin sophomore Ava McNaughton got the better of Minnesota freshman Hannah Clark on Friday, making 21 saves in the winning effort.

Getting it Dunne

The Buckeyes were the first team to punch their ticket to this year’s final on Friday. Going up against the ECAC champions, the Cornell Big Red, OSU was a considerable favorite. They played like it in the early minutes with a couple of goals to build up a solid cushion.

The reigning national champions suffered adversity in the middle window of the contest, as the Big Red stormed back with goals from Lily Delianedis and Kaitlin Jockims less than a minute apart in the second period to tie the game.

However, Ohio State showed its championship experience by putting the pedal to the metal in the final 20 minutes, holding Cornell to just seven shots on goal. Sophomore Joy Dunne found the back of the net twice to secure a 4-2 win.

Dunne admitted it was an all-around effort from OSU on Friday.

“I was just thinking about all of our teamwork,” Dunne said to Bolden after their victory. “We definitely had a ‘We, not me,’ mindset.”

Dunne led the charge with two goals and an assist, while Makenna Webster, who opened the scoring just over two minutes into the game, registered a goal and two assists. Defender Brooke Disher also scored for the Buckeyes on Thursday night.

Amanda Thiele might not have had to work as hard as Cornell’s backstop, NCAA Goaltender of the Year candidate Annelies Bergmann, but she made some key saves when she needed to, turning away 27 of the 29 shots she faced.

Tale of the Championship Tape

In the history of NCAA D-I Women’s Hockey, there has never been the same matchup in the national championship game three years in a row. In the first two times OSU and Wisconsin met, the final score was 1-0. Simms’ goal in the 2022 final sent the Badgers to a record seventh national championship, while Dunne was the hero in last year’s title game.

The Buckeyes are the first team to play in four consecutive national title games since Wisconsin did so from 2006 to 2009. They’re also trying to become the first team since Clarkson in 2017 and 2018 to win back-to-back national championships.

Dunne stated that the Buckeyes were built for a big game like this.

“It’s just a dream,” Dunne said. “This is why you play college hockey, to get to this point and we’re just so excited … We know we prepped for this. We know it’s going to take all of us … So we’re going to take advantage of every opportunity given to us.”

Wisconsin is heading into a record 20th championship game. Going up against a familiar foe in the Buckeyes, Edwards knows both teams will be at their best.

“We expect their best game,” Edwards said. “We’ve had a great year, they’ve had a great year. It’s going be two good hockey teams battling for a trophy.”

The Buckeyes were the only team to beat the Badgers this season, beating Wisconsin once in Columbus and in a shootout in Madison. Ohio State is 2-1 in national championship games, with their first title coming in 2022, while the Badgers are 7-12.

The championship game from Ridder Arena will take place on Sunday at 4 p.m. ET.

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