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The Ohio State Buckeyes Women's Ice Hockey team has won two out of the last three National Championships. But if they want to make it three out of four, they will need to win their toughest game of the last four years.
Head coach Nadine Muzerall is on the brink of building an absolute dynasty at Ohio State. The Buckeyes reached the Frozen Four in her second year, in 2018, and have reached the Frozen Four every year since 2021 (no tournament was held in 2020 due to COVID). Sunday marks the program's fourth consecutive National Championship Game appearance, winning in 2022 and 2024 but falling short in 2023.
None of her teams have ever faced a challenge like what they're about to face in this year's National Championship Game, though.
This year's Wisconsin team is, quite simply, one of the best teams in the history of this sport. While this is the third consecutive National Championship Game between these two teams, the Buckeyes entered both previous games as the favorite, with the more talented roster. That isn't the case this year.
The Badgers have gone a whopping 37-1-2 this year, the best mark by a major team in the sport's modern history. There is too much talent spread around in the women's game nowadays for teams to be this dominant. And yet, Wisconsin is. It has three elite lines, with ten players on the roster over 20 points for the season. Senior Forward Casey O'Brien has tallied an absurd 62 assists on the season. In fact, Wisconsin's prolific offense can be best explained by the fact that the three leading assist leaders in the country all play for the Badgers, all of whom have 42 or more assists. No one else in the country has 35.
The Wisconsin offense is just an efficient, well-oiled machine, the likes of which NCAA Hockey really hasn't seen before. If Ohio State going to win, it will rest on the shoulders of senior goaltender Amanda Thiele and the Buckeyes defense. Thiele has not been statistically outstanding this year, but her talent and potential are off the charts. In the 2023 National Championship Game, a more talented Buckeyes team lost to Wisconsin because they couldn't find their way past Wisconsin's goalie. Can Ohio State do the reverse in 2025?
Of course, to win Ohio State will also need to be able to score at least once. Wisconsin, led by sophomore goaltender Ava McNaughton, leads the country in goals against average, giving up just 1.2 goals per game. The Buckeye offense moves through sophomore forward Joy Dunne, who leads the team in both goals and assists. Ohio State doesn't have a ton of production that returned from last year's senior-heavy team, but it does have a few players with experience at this stage, most notably Riley Brengman, Maddi Wheeler, and Makenna Webster--who transferred to Ohio State from Wisconsin in 2022. These seniors will be key if the Buckeyes are to find their way through a stingy Wisconsin defense.
Is Wisconsin favored to win this game? Yes. Can Ohio State pull off the upset? Absolutely.
How can I be so sure?
Well, remember Wisconsin's one loss on the season? It came all the way back on November 16th.
Against Ohio State.
This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Ohio State vs Wisconsin: Women's Hockey National Championship Preview
Continue reading...
Head coach Nadine Muzerall is on the brink of building an absolute dynasty at Ohio State. The Buckeyes reached the Frozen Four in her second year, in 2018, and have reached the Frozen Four every year since 2021 (no tournament was held in 2020 due to COVID). Sunday marks the program's fourth consecutive National Championship Game appearance, winning in 2022 and 2024 but falling short in 2023.
None of her teams have ever faced a challenge like what they're about to face in this year's National Championship Game, though.
NCAA Women's Ice Hockey National Championship Game: Ohio State Buckeyes vs Wisconsin Badgers
This year's Wisconsin team is, quite simply, one of the best teams in the history of this sport. While this is the third consecutive National Championship Game between these two teams, the Buckeyes entered both previous games as the favorite, with the more talented roster. That isn't the case this year.
The Badgers have gone a whopping 37-1-2 this year, the best mark by a major team in the sport's modern history. There is too much talent spread around in the women's game nowadays for teams to be this dominant. And yet, Wisconsin is. It has three elite lines, with ten players on the roster over 20 points for the season. Senior Forward Casey O'Brien has tallied an absurd 62 assists on the season. In fact, Wisconsin's prolific offense can be best explained by the fact that the three leading assist leaders in the country all play for the Badgers, all of whom have 42 or more assists. No one else in the country has 35.
The Wisconsin offense is just an efficient, well-oiled machine, the likes of which NCAA Hockey really hasn't seen before. If Ohio State going to win, it will rest on the shoulders of senior goaltender Amanda Thiele and the Buckeyes defense. Thiele has not been statistically outstanding this year, but her talent and potential are off the charts. In the 2023 National Championship Game, a more talented Buckeyes team lost to Wisconsin because they couldn't find their way past Wisconsin's goalie. Can Ohio State do the reverse in 2025?
Of course, to win Ohio State will also need to be able to score at least once. Wisconsin, led by sophomore goaltender Ava McNaughton, leads the country in goals against average, giving up just 1.2 goals per game. The Buckeye offense moves through sophomore forward Joy Dunne, who leads the team in both goals and assists. Ohio State doesn't have a ton of production that returned from last year's senior-heavy team, but it does have a few players with experience at this stage, most notably Riley Brengman, Maddi Wheeler, and Makenna Webster--who transferred to Ohio State from Wisconsin in 2022. These seniors will be key if the Buckeyes are to find their way through a stingy Wisconsin defense.
Is Wisconsin favored to win this game? Yes. Can Ohio State pull off the upset? Absolutely.
How can I be so sure?
Well, remember Wisconsin's one loss on the season? It came all the way back on November 16th.
Against Ohio State.
This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Ohio State vs Wisconsin: Women's Hockey National Championship Preview
Continue reading...
