University of Wisconsin Repeats as Champions in NCAA Women’s Hockey

Claire Enright scored at the 13:42 mark of the third period to give the University of Wisconsin’s women’s hockey team a 3-2 lead over Ohio State in the championship game of the Women’s Frozen Four on March 22nd. The goal was the game winner as the Badgers beat the Buckeyes to repeat as NCAA women’s hockey champions.

This was the fourth year in a row that Wisconsin (35-4-2) and OSU (36-5) have met for the championship. Wisconsin won this year, last year, and in 2023, while the Buckeyes won in 2024. The two schools have been the only teams to win the crown since 2019 (with no tournament in 2020 due to covid). Ohio State beat Minnesota-Duluth in 2022 and Wisconsin beat Northeastern in 2021 and Minnesota in 2019. The Buckeyes and Badgers are also in the same league, the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA), during the regular season, so there is a pretty good rivalry between the two.

Kelly Gorbatenko and Laney Potter each scored in the first period for Wisconsin, and after a scoreless second period, Kassidy Carmichael and Jocelyn Amos scored for OSU less than two minutes apart in the third, tying the score before Enright’s game winner later in the period. Wisconsin goalie Ava McNaughton had 34 saves for Wisconsin, while Hailey MacLeod had 31 for OSU. McNaughton was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.

This NCAA championship comes on the heels of the U.S. women’s team winning the gold medal at the Olympics. Four Badgers on this NCAA championship team-Laila Edwards, Caroline Harvey, Ava McNaughton, and Kirsten Simms—were members of the Olympic champions.

This is a record ninth NCAA women’s championship for Wisconsin, and the teams have all been coached by Mark Johnson. A former Badger player himself (and NCAA champion in 1977), Johnson had a solid NHL career and was also on the 1980 Miracle on Ice men’s Olympic team that won the gold medal that year.