The Ohio State women’s hockey team earned the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament with a 2-1 victory over Wisconsin in the WCHA championship game.
The Badgers will be the NCAA Tournament’s No. 2 seed.
On March 7, the Buckeyes were down 1-0 in the third period against Wisconsin. OSU’s Hilda Svensson scored at the 14:30 mark, and two minutes later Jordan Baxter’s pass from behind the net went in off a Badgers player. Senior defender Emma Peschel assisted on both goals.
Ohio State goaltender Hailey MacLeod made 28 saves in the victory, while Wisconsin’s Ava McNaughton stopped 38 shots.
It marked the third time the Buckeyes have won the WCHA Final Faceoff championship game, joining titles in 2020 and 2022.
Next up for Ohio State is a March 13 NCAA regional final against the winner of a faceoff between Yale and Minnesota Duluth the previous day.
OSU’s game will start at 6 p.m. and air on ESPN+.
NCAA women’s hockey tournament 2026 schedule
Regional semifinals
Thursday, March 12:
Regional finals
Friday, March 13
Semifinals
Friday, March 20
At University Park, Pennsylvania
Championship
At University Park, Pennsylvania
Sunday, March 22
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State hockey beats Wisconsin in WCHA final, earns NCAA top seed
Reporting by Lori Schmidt, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
