The Ohio State Women’s Ice Hockey team is on the verge of making some history as it is just one win away from defending its national championship and becoming back-to-back champs. All that stands in the way is a date with a familiar team, the Badgers of Wisconsin.
A champion will be crowned on Sunday when the two teams face off at 4pm (EST) and the game will be televised on ESPNU as the game takes place at AMSOIL Arena in Duluth (Minn.).
Only five teams have won the championship in the sport since 2001 and Ohio State is the only team without more than one championship, that all could change with a win.
Wisconsin holds six championships, tied with Minnesota for the most in the NCAA’s in the 20-year-plus run of the Division I sport.
Ohio State advanced to the championship game with a 3-0 win over Northeastern in the national semifinals on Friday. Ohio State (33-5-2) peppered Northeastern all game, keeping pressure on the No. 5 seed throughout the entire game. Ohio State goaltender Amanda Thiele had 15 saves in the win to preserve the shutout win for the Buckeyes. The Buckeyes put up 53 shots on goal to Northeastern’s 15.
Wisconsin’s path to the championship game went through Minnesota in the second game of the doubleheader. This will be the fifth meeting of the season between the Buckeyes and the Badgers with Ohio State holding a 3-1 edge in game to this point. Ohio State has won six of the last seven games between these two teams. Ohio State and Wisconsin have only met one time in the NCAA Tournament with the Badgers getting the edge in 2021 when Wisconsin needed overtime to beat the Buckeyes, 3-2.
The 2023 Frozen Four had a familiar feel for the Buckeyes with three of the four teams playing in the WCHA, the same conference that Ohio State plays in.
Ohio State will not find the stage too big as 10 players on this roster are playing in their third Frozen Four of their careers. There was no tournament held in the 2020 season with COVID shutting down most major sports. Ohio State was announced as a member of the 2020 tournament field before things were scuttled.
Be sure to tune in and of course keep it locked in here at BuckeyeHuddle.com as we will provide updates from the championship game.
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