Ohio State University is at last national champions.
The OSU women's team, which began play in 1999-2000, earned its first-ever NCAA title today with a 3-2 win over Minnesota-Duluth at Penn State's Pegula Ice Arena in University Park, Pa., in a battle of Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) schools.
The top-ranked Buckeyes (32-6-0 overall) took leads of 1-0 and 2-1, but UMD (27-12-1) came back each time to tie the contest. A score by Quinnipiac transfer Kenzie Hauswirth with just under eight minutes remaining in regulation stood up as the game-winning goal, bolstered by 17 saves from OSU netminder Amanda Thiele. Paetyn Levis, who tallied an assist to go along with her game-opening power-play goal, was named Most Outstanding Player of this year's Frozen Four.
Emma Soderberg finished with 36 stops for the Bulldogs, who were seeking their sixth NCAA crown all-time despite being outshot, 39-19, on the afternoon. UMD won its last national title in 2010.
OSU, which has made the last three NCAA tournaments, previously advanced to the Frozen Four in both 2018 and 2021, all under current head coach Nadine Muzerall. The Buckeyes finished this season on a 10-game winning streak, and won 30 or more games in a single campaign for the first time in the program's 23-year history.
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