Wisconsin Wins 2026 NCAA Women's Title

Claire Enright scored the tiebreaking goal with just over six minutes remaining in regulation, and the University of Wisconsin won its second straight NCAA Division I women's hockey national title with a 3-2 victory over archrival Ohio State University on Sunday in State College, Pa. It was the fourth straight meeting in the national title game between Wisconsin and OSU, with the Badgers now having won three of those.

Kelly Gorbatenko and Laney Potter staked Wisconsin to a 2-0 lead before the game was eight minutes old, with Adéla Šapovalivová assisting on both goals for the Badgers. The score remained unchanged until Kassidy Carmichael and Joceyln Amos tallied just over two minutes apart early in the third period for the Buckeyes, setting the stage for Enright's heroics with the final goal of her college career.

Ava McNaughton stopped 34 shots for the Badgers (35-4-2 overall), whose top-ranked power play went scoreless in six opportunities. Hailey MacLeod made 31 saves for the Buckeyes (36-5-0), who won 43 of 71 faceoffs overall but saw their 10-game winning streak dating back to Feb. 13 snapped.

It is the ninth national title overall for Wisconsin, all since 2006 with head coach and Badger alumnus Mark Johnson at the helm, and the most among NCAA schools all-time since the NCAA women's Division I tournament began in 2001. OSU, which won this year's WCHA title game over Wisconsin, was seeking its second national crown in three years, and third overall.

Also for Wisconsin, senior blueliner Caroline Harvey took home the Patty Kazmaier Award earlier in the week as the top NCAA Division I women's hockey player this season. The New Hampshire native, who helped the U.S. to a gold medal at last month's 2026 Olympic Winter Games, finished her final collegiate campaign with 18 goals and 46 assists for 64 points in just 33 games. She is the seventh Badger to win the Kazmaier Award, the most of any school, since its inception in 1998.

U.S. Women Win Third Straight Olympic Game

Joy Dunne (Ohio State), Alex Carpenter (Boston College) and Caroline Harvey (Wisconsin) notched a goal and an assist each as the U.S. Women's Olympic team blanked Switzerland today, 5-0, in Group A play at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy. 

Gwyneth Philips (Northeastern) earned the shutout by stopping all 20 shots she faced for the Americans, while Andrea Braendli (Ohio State) made 45 saves for the Swiss. Team USA is now 3-0-0 overall and will next face archrival Canada, which defeated Czechia, 5-1, as Julia Gosling (St. Lawrence) scored two goals and Brianne Jenner (Cornell) collected two assists.

Minnesota Outlasts Ohio State, 6-3

Brodie Ziemer scored two goals, including the game's lone power-play tally, and Brody Lamb notched a goal and an assist as Minnesota defeated host Ohio State, 6-3, last night in the lone NCAA Division I men's hockey game on the schedule.

Following a scoreless opening period at Value City Arena, Minnesota held a 3-2 lead after 40 minutes. After Max Montes tied the game for OSU early in the final frame, Lamb scored less than two minutes later to put the visiting Golden Gophers ahead for good. Minnesota then added two empty-net goals in the final two minutes for the final margin.

Michigan State transfer Luca Di Pasquo made 32 saves in net for Minnesota (8-9-1 overall, 4-3-0 Big Ten), while Kristoffer Eberly stopped 22 shots for the Buckeyes (5-10-0, 1-6-0), who have lost six straight contests. The two teams close out their two-game Big Ten series tonight in Columbus (6:30 p.m. ET, BTN).

ADDENDUM: Jake Karabela's goal just over a minute into overtime broke OSU's losing streak and lifted the Buckeyes to a 6-5 victory over the Golden Gophers on Friday. Karabela also assisted on Adam Eisele's tying goal midway through the third period that forced the extra session. Eberly stopped 14 shots on the evening for OSU, while Nathan Airey finished with 32 saves for Minnesota. The Buckeyes also finished 2-for-3 on the power play, and won 41 of 59 total faceoffs.

 

Abbotsford Wins First-Ever AHL Calder Cup

The Abbotsford Canucks are the 2024-25 champions of the American Hockey League.

The Canucks rebounded from a 2-0 first-period deficit tonight to score three unanswered goals and win the decisive Game Six of the 2025 Calder Cup Final by a 3-2 count at Charlotte. Abbotsford thus won the best-of-seven series, four games to two. It is the first overall league championship for Abbotsford, primary affiliate of the NHL's Vancouver Canucks, who had previously earned this year's AHL Western Conference title.

John Leonard (Massachusetts) and Jack Devine (Denver) scored early for the Eastern Conference champion Checkers, who were seeking their first Calder Cup crown since 2019. Christian Wolanin (North Dakota) assisted on Abbottsford's first goal late in the opening session, before the Canucks connected twice in the second stanza to close out the scoring and claim the championship, despite being outshot, 30-20, on the evening.

Joining Wolanin as former NCAA skaters who lifted the Calder Cup with the Canucks this season were Phil Di Giuseppe (Michigan), Ty Glover (Western Michigan), Akito Hirose (Minnesota State), Jujhar Khaira (Michigan Tech), Victor Mancini (Omaha), Cole McWard (Ohio State), Ty Mueller (Omaha), Max Sasson (Western Michigan) and Nathan Smith (Minnesota State). 

Minnesota Wins Second Straight PWHL Title

Liz Schepers (Ohio State) scored off a rebound 12 minutes into overtime to lift the Minnesota Frost to a 2-1 victory over the Ottawa Charge in Game Four of their best-of-five PWHL final series on Monday. Minnesota took the best-of-five series, three games to one, to claim its second consecutive Walter Cup as league playoff champion, with Schepers scoring the clinching goal both years.

Ottawa's Gwyneth Philips (Northeastern) earned the Ilana Kloss Trophy as playoff MVP after making 36 saves in defeat. Tereza Vanisova (Maine) scored Ottawa's lone goal to force OT, after Kelly Pannek (Minnesota) tallied first for the Frost. Minnesota's Lee Stecklein (Minnesota) led all PWHL playoff scorers with eight points in seven games, on four goals and four assists.

USA Blanks Denmark in 2025 Worlds Opener

Seattle's Matty Beniers (Michigan) scored twice in Team USA's 5-0 win over co-host Denmark yesterday to open the 2025 IIHF Men's World Championship in Herning, Denmark. 

Anaheim's Cutter Gauthier (Boston College) and Boston's Mason Lohrei (Ohio State) each had a goal and an assist, as Utah's Michael Kesselring (Northeastern) set up both of their goals. Seattle's Joey Daccord (Arizona State) stopped all 26 shots he faced for the shutout.

The United States will next take on Hungary on Sunday at 6:20 a.m. ET (NHL Network), also at Jyske Bank Boxen.

ADDENDUM: The U.S blanked Hungary, 6-0, but then lost to Switzerland, 3-0. 

U-M, MSU Help Winnipeg to Win in Game Five

Kyle Conner (Michigan) scored one goal and set up two others, and Mason Appleton (Michigan State) had three assists as the Winnipeg Jets won Game Five of their first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series, 5-3, over visiting St. Louis last night. The Jets now lead the best-of-seven series, three games to two.

Connor Hellebuyck (UMass Lowell) finished with 16 stops in earning the win for Winnipeg, after being pulled in the previous two games in St. Louis. Jimmy Snuggerud (Minnesota) scored the second goal yesterday for the Blues, who will try to stave off elimination tomorrow night at home in Game Six.

Two other series ended last night, both wrapping up in five games. Washington upended Montreal, 4-1, despite 24 saves by Jakub Dobes (Ohio State), while defending NHL champion Florida ousted Tampa Bay, 6-3. Carolina had previously advanced to the second round after besting New Jersey in five games, while the remaining four Stanley Cup Playoff series could all end tonight.

NCAA Alumni Boost Habs to Playoff Win

The Montreal Canadiens clawed their way back into their first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series tonight, thanks to contributions from several former NCAA skaters.

Cole Caufield (Wisconsin) and Alex Newhook (Boston College) each tallied a goal and an assist, and rookie goaltender Jakub Dobes (Ohio State) stopped seven of eight shots in 20 minutes of relief to pick up the win in Montreal's 6-3 victory tonight over the visiting Washington Capitals. The Canadiens now trail the best-of-seven NHL postseason series, two games to one. 

Jake Evans (Notre Dame), Lane Hutson (Boston University) and Mike Matheson (Boston College) also recorded assists, as the Habs won their first postseason contest since the 2020 Stanley Cup Final against Tampa Bay. Game Four against Washington is slated for Sunday at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

ADDENDUM: New Jersey also rebounded in its series against visiting Carolina, winning 3-2 in overtime on Friday to close within two games to one as defenseman Brian Dumoulin (Boston College) recorded 36-plus minutes of ice time for the victors. Edmonton did likewise in Game Three of its series Friday with visiting Los Angeles, winning by a 7-4 count as Zach Hyman (Michigan) notched two assists to help make it a two to one series. 

Badgers Win 2025 Women's Hockey NCAA Title

Kirsten Simms scored on a penalty shot with 18.2 seconds remaining in regulation, then converted a rebound less than three minutes into overtime to lift top-ranked Wisconsin to a 4-3 victory over No. 2 Ohio State in the 2025 NCAA Division I Women's Hockey national championship game at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis. 

It is the eighth national title all-time for the Badgers, the most-ever in women's college hockey history, and their second in three seasons. It was also the eighth national title for head coach and former NHL forward/1980 U.S. Olympic hero Mark Johnson, who now has 667 career wins, all at his alma mater.

Simms finished with two goals and an assist on the afternoon, and scored the tying goal after Wisconsin was awarded a penalty shot after an official video review determined that an OSU player had covered a loose puck in the Buckeye crease with a glove. She then put home the rebound of a Lacey Eden shot just 2:49 into the extra session to end it.

Eden recorded two assists for Wisconsin (38-1-2 overall), which overcame a 3-1 deficit early in the second period, while Laila Edwards had a goal and an assist for the Badgers, who also won both the WCHA regular-season and tournament titles. Joy Dunne, who notched the game-winning goal for OSU (29-8-1) in last year's national title game, opened today's scoring with a shorthanded goal in the first nine minutes of regulation. Amanda Thiele finished with 31 saves in net for the Buckeyes, while Ava McNaughton made 20 stops for the Badgers.

It was the third straight season that OSU and Wisconsin, the top two teams in the NCAA and WCHA, had met for the national title. Wisconsin won in 2023, and OSU in 2024, both by 1-0 scores. The Buckeyes were seeking their third NCAA title in school history. The 2026 women's Division I Frozen Four will be played at Penn State's  Pegula Ice Arena in State College, Pa.

OSU, Wisconsin to Meet Again for NCAA Women's Hockey Title

For the third year in a row, the NCAA Division I women's ice hockey national title game will pit Ohio State against Wisconsin.

Defending national champion and second-ranked OSU advanced to Sunday's title game (3 p.m., ET, ESPNU) with a 4-2 win over Cornell today in the first NCAA semifinal at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis. Joy Dunne scored the only two goals of the third period for the Buckeyes, who also got a goal and two assists from Makenna Webster. 

No. 1 Wisconsin (37-1-2 overall) punched its ticket to Sunday with a 6-2 victory over host Minnesota in tonight's nightcap. Laila Edwards scored three goals for the Badgers, while Caroline Harvey tallied one goal and set up three others. Both Edwards and Harvey, along with teammate Casey O'Brien, are finalists for the 2025 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award as the nation's top women's player, with the winner to be announced tomorrow (NHL Network, 12:30 p.m. ET).

OSU (29-7-3) advanced to this year's Frozen Four by routing St. Lawrence in the quarterfinal round, while Wisconsin bested Clarkson. The Badgers also won this year's WCHA tournament, while the Buckeyes were eliminated by Minnesota in the conference semifinals. Wisconsin won this year's head-to-head WCHA regular-season series with OSU with two wins, one loss and one tie (shootout win by OSU).

The Buckeyes beat the Badgers in last year's national title game in Durham, N.H, while Wisconsin edged OSU in the 2023 championship in Duluth, Minn., with both games decided by 1-0 scores. OSU is seeking its third national title ever, and third in four years, while Wisconsin is vying for a record eighth NCAA crown overall, and fourth in the last six seasons.

Fontaine, OSU Advance to Big Ten Title Game

Gunnarwolfe Fontaine shot Ohio State University into the 2025 Big Ten championship game.

The Rhode Island native scored just under 15 minutes into overtime last night at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio to lift third-seeded OSU to a 4-3 victory over visiting fifth-seeded Penn State University. The Buckeyes will now face defending champion Michigan State next Saturday night for at Munn Arena for the league crown and the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA tournament. Top-seeded MSU outlasted seventh-seeded Notre Dame, 1-0, in East Lansing, Mich. yesterday,

Fontaine opened the scoring in Columbus on a first-period deflection, and the two teams then traded goals over the next 40 minutes, with Penn State's Matt DiMarsico connecting with just under six minutes remaining in regulation to force the extra session. Logan Terness made 31 saves in net for tenth-ranked OSU (24-12-2 overall), while Arsenii Sergeev finished with 38 stops for No. 11 Penn State (20-13-4), which lost for the only the second time since Feb. 1. 

Fontaine, who spent the first four years of his college career at Northeastern, now leads OSU with 16 goals and 23 assists for 39 points through 38 games. He kept OSU's season alive in the Big Ten quarterfinals by scoring the game-tying goal late in Game Two against Wisconsin, after the Badgers had won the first game, and the Buckeyes went on to win the series in three games. In 169 career NCAA outings, he now has 48-88—136 points overall, including 13 power-play goals and eight game-winners.

Even without the automatic conference bid, both OSU and Penn State are likely to qualify for the 16-team NCAAs according to the Pairwise Rankings.

Ohio State Edges Michigan State, 4-2

Gunnarwolfe Fontaine's goal just under eight minutes into the third period broke a two-all tie, and catapulted No. 11 Ohio State to a 4-2 victory last night over visiting No. 2 Michigan State in a Big Ten contest.

Riley Thompson scored two goals for OSU, and also assisted on Fontaine's game-winning wrist shot before 5,339 spectators in Columbus. Logan Terness made 35 saves in earning the win for the Buckeyes (16-7-2 overall, 9-5-1 Big Ten), who suffered a loss and a tie at Penn State last weekend. Thomas Weis scored an insurance goal for OSU late in the third period.

MSU (20-4-3, 11-3-3), which had already lost forward Red Savage to injury for the remainder of the 2024-25 NCAA season, suffered its first loss in regulation since Dec. 6 despite 25 stops on the night from Trey Augustine. David Gucciardi and Karsen Dorwart scored goals for the Spartans.

The Buckeyes and Spartans meet again tonight at Value City Arena to close out their season series. MSU swept OSU in a pair of games in East Lansing, Mich. back in November.

ADDENDUM: MSU gained the series split with a 4-1 win on Friday night, as four different Spartans scored goals and Augustine made 22 saves.

Two Big Ten Freshmen Move on to OHL

A pair of Big Ten freshmen left their respective schools this month to skate in the Ontario Hockey League.

Christian Humphreys (Michigan) left the Wolverines to join the Kitchener Rangers, after recording one assist in 10 NCAA games. A 5-foot-11, 170-pound  forward from Pittsburgh, and a seventh-round selection of the Colorado Avalanche in the 2024 NHL Draft, he had one goal through his first three OHL contests.

Also departing the college ranks was forward Noah Powell (Ohio State), who moved on to the Oshawa Generals after notching two goals and three assists for five points in 17 appearances with the Buckeyes. A native of Northbrook, Ill., the 6-foot-2, 210-pound Powell was chosen in the fifth round last summer by the Philadelphia Flyers, and had notched two assists in his first two outings with Oshawa.

Frozen Confines Success in Chicago

The first-ever Frozen Confines at Chicago's historic Wrigley Field this month featured two ties and two wins among some of the top Division I hockey teams in the nation from the Big Ten and the WCHA.

On Jan. 3, Penn State and Notre Dame skated to a 3-3 tie, with UND winning the subsequent shootout, while Ohio State edged Michigan, 4-3. On Jan. 4, Michigan State outlasted Wisconsin, 4-3, in overtime, while in WCHA women's hockey, Wisconsin and Ohio State tied, 3-3, with OSU claiming the shootout victory.

Each game at the longtime home of MLB's Chicago Cubs drew in excess of 24,00 spectators, in a venue that seats 41,649 for baseball.

Princeton Sweeps No. 12 Ohio State

Princeton played the part of rude host over Thanksgiving weekend, sweeping 12th ranked Ohio State this weekend with a pair of 3-1 victories at Hobey Baker Memorial Rink. It was the first time the Tigers had ever defeated the Buckeyes, after dropping the first six NCAA men's hockey meetings all-time dating back to 1971.

On Friday night, Jake Manfre scored two goals for the Tigers, who also received 29 saves in net from Arthur Smith. On Saturday afternoon, Princeton got goals from three different skaters, including a shorthanded marker by Brendan Gorman, as all the scoring occurred in the third period. Smith made 37 stops and was just under seven minutes away from a shutout before Joe Dunlap scored his second of two goals on the weekend for OSU.

Both schools will return to conference play next weekend. Princeton (3-4-1 overall) will host Union and Rensselaer in ECAC Hockey action, while OSU will entertain Penn State (9-4-1) for a pair of Big Ten contests.

NCAA Sweeps Abound in Early November

It was a weekend of two-step sweeps involving top teams in NCAA Division I men's college hockey (national rankings from last week, per USCHO.com) ...

- No. 1 Denver swept Yale (5-1, 6-0)

- No. 2 Boston College swept at No. 6 St. Cloud State (4-1, 2-1)

- No. 4 Minnesota swept No. 18 Penn State (3-1, 1-0)

- No. 7 Maine swept Merrimack (5-0, 6-0)

- No. 8 Colorado College swept Air Force (3-2, 6-1)

- No. 9 Cornell swept No. 6 North Dakota (4-1, 5-3)

- No. 11 Michigan swept No. 5 Boston University (5-1, 5-4/OT)

- No. 12 Providence swept New Hampshire (6-3, 3-0)

- No. 15 Ohio State swept Lake Superior (9-3, 6-2)

The home team won in each of those series, except for BC and CC.

Bears Bounce Back to Tie Calder Cup Final

The 2024 Calder Cup Final will not be a sweep.

Two days after falling short in a 4-3 loss in the series opener on Friday, the Hershey Bears rebounded with a 5-2 win over the Coachella Valley Firebirds. The best-of-seven series, which shifts to California for the next three games, is now tied, one to one.

Mike Vecchione (Union) set up two goals for the Bears on Sunday, while Hunter Shepard (Minnesota-Duluth) stopped 32 of 34 shots against before 10,507 spectators at Hershey's Giant Center. Shepard was named first star of the game, while Vecchione was third star.

Game Three is slated for Acrisure Arena in Thousand Palms, Cal., tonight at 10 p.m. ET. 

ADDENDUM: Coachella Valley took a two to one lead in the Calder Cup Final with a 6-2 victory over Hershey in Game Three. Max McCormick (Ohio State) scored three goals for the Firebirds, who outshot the Bears, 42-24. Coachella Valley will host Game Four on Thursday evening.

Minnesota Earns Inaugural PWHL Title

A second-period goal by Liz Schepers (Ohio State) stood up as the game-winner, and Minnesota won the first-ever Professional Women's Hockey League playoff title with a 3-0 victory over Boston in Game 5 of the inaugural PWHL final last night in Lowell, Mass. Minnesota won the best-of-five series, three games to two, to lift the Walter Cup.

Michela Cava (Minnesota-Duluth) made it 2-0 in the third period, and later set up Kendall Coyne-Schofield (Northeastern) for an empty-net insurance goal. Mellissa Channell (Wisconsin) finished with two assists for Minnesota, both in the final frame, while Nicole Hensley (Lindenwood) made 17 saves for the shutout. Aerin Frankel (Northeastern) recorded 41 stops in defeat for Boston.

Minnesota's Taylor Heise (Minnesota) earned the first-ever Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP award after tallying five goals and eight points in the postseason.

Former NCAA Skaters Star in NHL Playoffs

Dakota Joshua (Ohio State) scored his first two NHL postseason goals and added an assist, while Thatcher Demko (Boston College) made 20 saves in net to lift the Vancouver Canucks to a 4-2 win over the Nashville Predators on Sunday night to start the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Vancouver takes a one game to none lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference quarterfinal series, following the Canucks' first home playoff game at Rogers Arena since 2015.

In Manhattan, the top-ranked New York Rangers jumped out to a three-goal lead en route to a 4-1 triumph over the visiting Washington Capitals in the opener of their best-of-seven Western Conference quarterfinal series at Madison Square Garden. Jimmy Vesey (Harvard) tallied one goal and set up another for the Rangers, while Chris Kreider (Boston College) also scored for the Blueshirts.

In Manitoba, the Winnipeg Jets outlasted the Colorado Avalanche, 7-6, at Canada Life Centre to claim the first game in their best-of-seven Western Conference quarterfinal series. Kyle Connor (Michigan) scored twice for Winnipeg and also had an assist, while Connor Hellebuyck (UMass Lowell) made 40 saves for the Jets. Cale Makar (Massachusetts) scored one goal and set up two others for the Avalanche.

OSU Wins 2024 NCAA Women's Hockey Title

Joy Dunne's goal with just over seven minutes remaining in regulation was all Ohio State needed in a 1-0 victory today over Wisconsin in the 2024 NCAA Division I women's hockey national title game at the Whittemore Center in Durham, N.H. The Buckeyes avenged last year's loss to the Badgers by the same score in the national championship game, along with a 6-3 loss to Wisconsin on March 9 in the 2004 WCHA championship contest.

Boston College transfers Hanna Bilka and Cayla Barnes assisted on the goal by Barnes, the WCHA Rookie of the Year, her 24th score of the 2023-24 season. Raygan Kirk stopped all 26 shots she faced for Ohio State (35-4-0 overall), while Ava McNaughton made 27 stops for Wisconsin (35-6-0). 

It was the second national title in three years for OSU, both under head coach Nadine Muzerall. The Buckeyes also defeated Minnesota-Duluth and Clarkson University in the NCAAs this month, before winning their rematch on Sunday against the Badgers.

OSU outshot Wisconsin, 28-26, on the afternoon, while also winning 34 of 63 faceoffs. There were no penalties called, and no power plays in the game. Next year's NCAA Frozen Four will be held at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis, where the Buckeyes will look to make the national semifinals for the fifth straight season.