Despite a memorable season and a rather easy path into the NCAA Women’ss Hockey Frozen Four, it wasn’t meant to be for the Ohio State women’s hockey team. The Buckeyes fought hard but fell to the Wisconsin Badgers 1-0 in the national title game on Sunday afternoon in Duluth, Minnesota.
The type of game that unfolded wasn’t what one would expect from two high-scoring teams, but Wisconsin used a defensive approach that frustrated Ohio State and didn’t lead to many high-quality scoring chances for the Buckeyes. It was a stark contrast to OSU’s semifinal matchup win against Northeastern when the Buckeyes seemed to camp out in their own offensive end.
Buy Buckeyes TicketsFor Wisconsin, the chances didn’t come too often either, but the Badgers were able to make good on a quality shot by Kirsten Simms in the slot at 13:28 of the first period to set the tone.
WHO ELSE BUT KIRSTEN SIMMS?! BADGERS ARE ON THE BOARD.
📺 ESPNU #WFrozenFour x @BadgerWHockey pic.twitter.com/VBNYcJGleE
— NCAA Ice Hockey (@NCAAIceHockey) March 19, 2023
And that would be all of the scoring in the entire game. Ohio State outshot Wisconsin 31-22 for the contest, but couldn’t generate much in sustained offense because of an inability to carry the puck through the neutral zone. Many of the shots were from a distance away from the net or with significant resistance from the Badgers.
Despite the loss, Ohio State still has plenty to be proud of. It was the program’s third-straight trip to the Frozen Four and a season in which the Buckeyes were ranked No. 1 for most of the season. There’s also a first-ever regular-season WCHA championship to remember.
Now, with a veteran nucleus of players moving on from the program, it’ll be interesting to see how OSU turns the page into the future.
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