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.

Badgers Top Buckeyes in No. 2/No.1 Women's Meeting

In a battle of the current top two teams in NCAA Division I women's college hockey, it was the second-ranked squad that came out on top this time.

No. 2 Wisconsin overcame a two-goal deficit with four unanswered tallies in a 4-2 victory over visiting No. 1 Ohio State on Saturday evening before 2,273 on-lookers at LaBahn Arena in Madison. It was the Badgers' first win in four tries over the Buckeyes this season, following a 1-0 triumph over OSU in last season's NCAA title game in Duluth, Minn.

After Kenzie Hauswirth staked OSU to a 2-0 lead with two goals in the first 20 minutes, Casey O'Brien got the Badgers on the board early in the second stanza. O'Brien then tied the contest early in the third period, before Laila Edwards scored twice in the final eight minutes, including an empty-netter set up by O'Brien, to seal the victory.

Amanda Thiele finished with 20 stops for the Buckeyes (29-3-0 overall, 26-2-0 WCHA), while Ava McNaughton made 33 stops for the Badgers (29-5-0, 23-5-0). OSU still leads second-place Wisconsin by nine points for the top spot in the 2023-24 WCHA standings.

NCAA Players with Eligibility Left Leave for NHL

More than 20 NCAA Division I players (listed alphabetically by first name) with college eligibility remaining have signed with professional hockey clubs since the start of March, following the conclusion of their respective 2022-23 seasons:

Aidan Fulp, D, Jr., Western Michigan (NY Islanders/NHL)

Akito Hirose, D, Jr., Minnesota State (Vancouver/NHL) 

Alex Laferriere, F, So., Harvard (Ontario/AHL)

Anton Malmstrom, D, Jr., Bowling Green (St. Louis/NHL)

Brett Berard, F, Jr., Providence (NY Rangers/NHL)

Carter Mazur, F, So., Denver (Detroit/NHL)

Corson Ceulemans, D, So., Wisconsin (Columbus/NHL)

Devon Levi, G, Jr., Northeastern (Buffalo/NHL) *

Hunter McKown, F, Jr., Colorado College (Columbus/NHL) *

Jake Livingstone, D, Jr., Minnesota State (Nashville/NHL)

Jakub Dobeš, G, So., Ohio State (Montreal/NHL)

Josh Doan, F, So., Arizona State (Arizona/NHL)

Mason Lohrei, D, So., Ohio State (Providence/AHL)

Matthew Coronato, F, So., Harvard (Calgary/NHL)

Max Sasson, F, So., Western Michigan (Vancouver/NHL)

Nikita Nesterenko, F, Jr., Boston College (Anaheim/NHL) *

Ondrej Pavel, F, Jr., Minnesota State (Colorado/NHL)

Ryan Tverberg, F, Jr., UConn (Toronto/NHL)  

Ryder Rolston, F, Jr., Notre Dame (Chicago/NHL)

Sean Farrell, F, Jr., Harvard (Montreal/NHL) *

Trevor Kuntar, F, Jr., Boston College (Boston/NHL)

Tyler Kleven, D, Jr., North Dakota (Ottawa/NHL) *

Wyatt Kaiser, D, Jr., Minnesota-Duluth (Chicago/NHL) *

* Indicates player has made his NHL playing debut

Wisconsin Wins 2023 NCAA Women's Hockey National Title

A first-period goal by Kirsten Simms stood up as the game-winner on Sunday as the University of Wisconsin claimed its record seventh NCAA Division I women's ice hockey national title with a 1-0 victory over defending champion Ohio State University.

Simms' wrist shot high to the stick side 13:28 into the contest, assisted by Claire Enright, was all the scoring the Badgers needed before 3.940 on-lookers at Amsoil Arena in Duluth, Minn. Wisconsin goaltender Cami Kronish made 31 saves for the shutout, earning her Most Outstanding Player accolades for the 2023 NCAA Frozen Four. Amanda Thiele made 21 stops for the Buckeyes, who won their first-ever NCAA title last season and were seeking to become the first repeat national champion since Clarkson in 2017-2018.

The title marked Wisconsin's seventh national championship overall, breaking a tie with another WCHA rival in Minnesota, whom the Badgers bested in overtime in this year's national semifinals on St. Patrick's Day. All seven crowns have come under the tutelage of head coach Mark Johnson, a Wisconsin alumnus, 1980 U.S. Olympic gold medalist, and retired NHL player. Wisconsin also has three national titles in the last four seasons, winning in 2019 and 2021, while the 2020 championship was canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ohio State's Jaques Wins 2023 Kazmaier Award

Ohio State senior blueliner Sophie Jaques has been named the 2023 Patty Kazmaier Award winner, emblematic of the top player in NCAA Division I women's ice hockey. She is the first Buckeye ever to win the award, now in its 26th year. Other finalists this year were fifth-year forward Alina Müller (Northeastern) and senior forward Danielle Serdachny (Colgate).

Jaques, 22, from Toronto, posted 24 goals and 24 assists for 48 points in 40 games this season, placing her second on the Buckeye scoring scroll behind teammate Jennifer Gardner. Nine of Jaques' goals came on the power play, while she also posted a plus-37 plus-minus rating and just 14 penalty minutes as the Buckeyes won their first-ever WCHA regular-season title. 

For her five-year career, Jaques has collected 61-95⁠—156 points in 171 outings to go with 50 PIM and a plus-112. She has also led the Buckeyes to four NCAA tournament berths, two WCHA tournament titles, and last year's national title, the first in team history, when OSU bested WCHA rival Minnesota-Duluth, 3-2, in State College, Pa.

OSU (33-5-2 overall) will try to defend its NCAA title on Sunday at 4 p.m. ET (ESPNU) in the national championship game in Duluth, Minn. against WCHA rival Wisconsin. The Buckeyes advanced to the national crown contest with a 3-0 victory over Northeastern in the semifinals on St. Patrick's Day, while Wisconsin (28-10-2) edged Minnesota, 3-2, in overtime.

Big Ten Hockey - Dec. 2-3, 2022

It was quite a weekend for men's hockey in the Big Ten conference.

Ohio State, ranked 17th in NCAA Division I, skated to a split at sixth-ranked Penn State. The host Nittany Lions took a 2-1 decision on Friday, before the visiting Buckeyes rebounded for a 4-3 victory in the series finale.

No. 4 Minnesota swept host No. 13 Michigan State by 5-0 and 6-3 scores. The Golden Gophers have now won six of their last seven games overall, and nine of their last 11 outings.

Wisconsin, last in the Big Ten standings so far this season, still managed a split at fifth-ranked Michigan. The visiting Badgers won by a 6-3 count in the opener before falling, 4-2, in the rematch.

The conference's seventh school, No. 20 Notre Dame, was idle last weekend, and will host Penn Stat this Friday and Saturday.

2022-23 NCAA Hockey Season Underway

Just under six months after Denver was crowned the Division I men's national champion in Boston, the 2022-23 NCAA hockey season is underway.

The Pioneers opened the new season on Saturday with a 10-0 exhibition victory at home over UNLV, although things actually got underway on Sept. 23 when Alaska Anchorage returned to action after a two-year hiatus with a 1-0 exhibition loss to visiting Simon Fraser, 6-0. A day later, Alaska (Fairbanks) blanked SFU, 6-0.  

In CCHA play, Bowling Green split a two-game series with Northern Michigan, while Miami posted a win and a tie against Ferris State. In Hockey East, UConn swept Vermont in a pair of contests, while Minnesota-Duluth did the same to Arizona State in non-conference action.

The Division I women's game made its season debut on Sept. 17 when Syracuse topped Union, Quinnipiac edged UConn, and Maine defeated New Brunswick. As of Oct. 3, defending national champion Ohio State (2-0-0) was in first place in the USCHO.com women's poll.

Faceoff on the Lake Coming Feb. 2023

College hockey will head outdoors again early next year, with a Big Ten battle at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio, home of the NFL's Browns, on Lake Erie.

The University of Michigan will face rival Ohio State University on Feb. 18 in the “Faceoff on the Lake.” It will be the ninth time Michigan will have played outdoors since the inaugural NCAA outdoor contest, the Cold War, on Oct. 6, 2001 at Michigan State University. Ohio State will be appearing outdoors for the fourth time in program history, according to collegehockeyinc.com. A list of all NCAA Division I men's hockey outdoor games to date in the modern era, 40 in all since 2001, can be found here.

It will be the second time the Wolverines and Buckeyes have faced off outdoors, both times in Cleveland. U-M defeated OSU by a 4-1 count on Jan. 15. 2012, before 25,864 on-lookers at the Frozen Diamond Faceoff at Progressive Field, home of the MLB's Guardians. 

ECHL's Everblades Win 2022 Kelly Cup

For the first time since 2012, the Florida Everblades are ECHL champions.

The Everblades completed their playoff journey on Saturday night at Hertz Arena in Estero, Fla. with a 4-2 win over the Toledo Walleye in Game Five of the 2022 Kelly Cup Final. Florida won the series, four games to one, to claim the second Kelly Cup in franchise hostory.

Former NCAA players on this year's Everblades playoff roster included: Darik Angeli (Ohio State), Parker Gahagen (Army West Point), John McCarron (Cornell), Jake Jaremko (Minnesota State), Cam Johnson (North Dakota), Lukas Kaelble (Lake Superior State/Clarkson), Ben Masella (St. Lawrence), Chris McKay (RIT), Jake McLaughlin (UMass), Michael Neville (Michigan Tech), Joe Pendenza (UMass Lowell), Nathan Perkovich (Lake Superior State), Zach Solow (Northeastern), Dylan Vander Esch (SUNY Potsdam) and Blake Winiecki (St. Cloud State), 

Johnson earned the June M. Kelly Playoffs Most Valuable Player Award for his performance in net for Florida. He fashioned a 15-3 record in 18 postseason games this spring, along with a 1.90 goals-against average and four shutouts.

More NCAA Players Sign with NHL

The annual exodus of college talent to the NHL has begun in the wake of the recently-completed NCAA Frozen Four.

The first-round University of Michigan trio of Owen Power, Kent Johnson and Matty Beniers have all signed NHL contracts, with Buffalo, Columbus and Seattle, respectively. Power and Beniers are expected to make their pro debuts this week. All three had two years of college eligibility remaining. 

Bobby Brink, the nation's top scorer and a Hobey Hat Trick finalist who just helped Denver to its ninth NCAA title overall, inked a deal with Philadelphia. Nathan Smith, a Florida native who led Minnesota State to its first-ever NCAA Division I national championship game this season, has signed with Arizona, which had recently acquired his rights from Winnipeg. Brink and Smith both had one year of NCAA eligibility left. 

All those players signed with the NHL clubs that had drafted them, or, in Smith's case, had traded for them. Ohio State freshman Georgii Merkulov bypassed his last three seasons with the Buckeyes to sign with Boston as a free agent, and will report to Providence (AHL).

More to come ...

ADDENDUM: Power was a plus-2 in Buffalo's 5-2 win at Toronto, Beniers notched an assist in Seattle's 5-3 loss at Calgary, Brink recorded an assist in Philadelphia's 9-2 defeat at Washington, and Smith had one shot on goal and two hits in Arizona's 6-2 loss to New Jersey, all on Tuesday night. On Wednesday, Hobey Hat Trick finalist Ben Meyers (Minnesota) signed with Colorado as a free agent.

OSU Wins First NCAA Women's Hockey Title

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.

2022 NCAA Women's Frozen Four This Weekend

The 2022 NCAA Women's Frozen Four for Division I ice hockey is set. Minnesota-Duluth, defending national runner-up Northeastern, Ohio State, and first-time national semifinalist Yale make up the field that will skate this weekend in State College, Pa., at Penn State's Pegula Ice Arena.

Third-ranked Northeastern will take on eighth-ranked UMD at 3:30 p.m. ET on Friday, while OSU, the top-ranked team in the nation, will face sixth-ranked Yale at 7 p.m. ET, with both of those games to be televised by ESPN+. The winners will advance to Sunday's championship game at 4 p.m. ET (ESPNU).

Out of the four schools, only UMD has previously won an NCAA title, having done so on five previous occasions (2001-2003, 2008, 2010). The Bulldogs (26-11-1 overall) advanced to this year's semifinals by winning two games, 4-0 over Harvard and 2-1 against Minnesota.

The other three schools all earned first-round byes and had to win once apiece in this year's tournament, which was expanded to 11 teams from the previous eight. Yale (26-8-1) edged host Colgate, 2-1, while Ohio State (30-6-0) clipped visiting Quinnipiac, 4-3, and Northeastern (31-4-2) avenged last year's title game loss with a 4-2 victory over visiting Wisconsin. In the first round, besides UMD's triumph over Harvard, Quinnipiac blanked Syracuse, 4-0, while Wisconsin ousted Clarkson, 3-1.

UMD's Elizabeth Giguère, a graduate transfer from Clarkson, is the second-leading scorer in the nation with 21 goals and 39 assists for 60 points through 38 games. OSU senior defender Sophie Jaques is the NCAA's third-leading scorer, and tops among all blueliners, with 21-38—59 points in 36 contests.

Graduate defender Skylar Fontaine of Northeastern leads all NCAA skaters with 41 assists in 37 outings, while graduate teammate Maureen Murphy is pacing the nation with 13 power-play goals, and graduate goaltender Aerin Frankel has posted a 25-3-2 record with an NCAA-best 11 shutouts in 31 appearances this season to date. Yale graduate forward Tess Dettling is tied for second in the nation with three shorthanded goals.

As a team, OSU leads the nation with 4.72 goals scored per game, and a power play that has a 37 percent success rate, while Northeastern ranks first in the nation with just 1.03 goals allowed per game. Yale has the top penalty-killing unit in the NCAA, clicking at almost 95 percent, and is also tied for the national lead with eight shorthanded scores, while UMD ranks in the top 10 in goals scored per game (3.50) and power-play efficiency (26.6 percent).

Devils Trade Zajac, Palmieri to Islanders

 

Travis Zajac (North Dakota) and Kyle Palmieri (Notre Dame) are moving to Long Island.

The now-former New Jersey Devils forwards were traded yesterday to the New York islanders for a 2021 first-round NHL draft choice, a 2022 conditional fourth-round choice, and minor-league forwards A.J. Greer (Boston University) and Mason Jobst (Ohio State).

Zajac, 34, who played in his 1,000th career NHL regular-season game earlier this season, has been a fixture in New Jersey since turning pro in 2006-07 after two years with North Dakota, whom he helped to two NCAA Frozen Fours. In that span he has recorded 202 goals and 348 assists for 550 points in 1,024 regular-season NHL appearances. He also has 11-17—28 points in 57 Stanley Cup playoff contests, and led the Devils to their 2012 Eastern Conference championship.

Palmieri, 30, who sat out New Jersey's last several games while awaiting a trade, began his NHL career with Anaheim in 2010-11, two years after the Ducks drafted him 26th overall, and just after he played his one season at Notre Dame. He joined New Jersey in 2015-16 and has proceeded to register five straight years of 20 or more goals. In 595 career NHL regular-season outings, Palmieri has posted 183-172—355 points, along with 8-7—15 totals in 38 Stanley Cup playoff appearances.

Greer, 24, played parts of two seasons at Boston University before jumping to the major junior ranks. Drafted 39th overall by Colorado in 2015, after helping BU to the NCAA national title game that year, he has recorded a goals and five assists for six points in 37 NHL regular-season games, all with the Avalanche.

Jobst, 27, a two-year team captain at Ohio State who helped the Buckeyes to the 2018 NCAA Frozen Four, has spent the last two seasons with Bridgeport (AHL). In 51 outings with the Sound Tigers, he has put up 5-10—15 points.

2021 NCAA Exodus to NHL Has Begun

 

The annual pre-Frozen Four exodus of NCAA players with college eligibility remaining to the pro hockey ranks is underway. Below are some of the players who have signed with NHL clubs since the regionals ended on Sunday:

Player                Yr. Pos. School (NHL Club)      

Cole Caufield         So. F    Wisconsin (Montreal)

Mike Hardman       So. F    Boston College (Chicago)

Matthew Boldy       So. F    Boston College (Minnesota)

Layton Ahac           So. D    Ohio State (Vegas)

Spencer Knight       So. G    Boston College (Florida)

Alex Newhook          So. F    Boston College (Colorado)

Jacob Bernard-Docker  Jr. D    North Dakota (Ottawa)

Cam York       So. D    Michigan (Philadelphia) 

Adam Scheel       Jr. G    North Dakota (Dallas)

Shane Pinto       So. F    North Dakota (Ottawa)

More to come, obviously ...

Big Ten Teams Advance to League Semifinals

 

Minnesota, Michigan and Penn State have all advanced in the 2021 Big Ten championship, while the 2020-21 campaigns for Michigan State, Ohio State and possibly Notre Dame have come to an end.

Minnesota (21-6-0 overall) needed overtime to outlast MSU, 2-1, with Sampo Ranta scoring the game-winner midway through the extra session. Bryce Brodzinski had tied the game for the Golden Gophers with five minutes remaining in regulation, after MSU had held  a 1-0 lead since midway through the first period on a power-play goal by Dennis Cesana. Freshman netminder Pierce Charleson made 48 saves in defeat for the Spartans (7-18-2).

Penn State (10-11-0) overcame an early 2-0 deficit by scoring five unanswered goals against host Notre Dame (14-13-2) en route to a 6-3 victory. Connor McMenamin and Chase Mclane had two goals apiece for the Nittany Lions, who also got two assists from three different skaters. Oskar Autio made 33 saves for Penn State, while Dylan St. Cyr did likewise for the Fighting Irish, who had swept the Nittany Lions in a pair of games earlier this month.

In the nightcap, Michigan blanked Ohio State, 4-0, as Brendan Brisson scored the first and fourth goals for the Wolverines (15-9-1), the latter into an empty-net in the third period. Strauss Mann stopped 26 shots to earn the shutout over the Buckeyes (7-19-1).

Today's games feature Penn State against No. 1 seed Wisconsin, and Michigan versus Minnesota. Both games will be played at the Compton Family Ice Arena in South Bend, Ind., where the entire tournament is being contested. The Big Ten championship contest will be held tomorrow, and the winner will also earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Also on Sunday, Boston College, UMass Lowell, Massachusetts and Providence all advanced in the Hockey East playoffs, while Niagara did the same in Atlantic Hockey, and Northern Michigan and Minnesota State did likewise in the WCHA.

ADDENDUM: Cole Caufield scored the tying and winning goals, his nation-leading 26th and 27th scores of the season, as Wisconsin rebounded to top Penn State, 4-3, in overtime. Later, Minnesota overcame a two-goal deficit to edge Michigan, 3-2, on Sammy Walker's goal six minutes into sudden death.

2021 NCAA Women's Hockey Championship Field Set

The eight-team field is set for the 2021 NCAA Division I Women's Ice Hockey Championship. The seeds/first-round match-ups are as follows, with conference affiliation in parentheses:

No. 8 Robert Morris * (CHA) vs. No. 1 Northeastern * (Hockey East)

No. 7 Providence (Hockey East) vs. No. 2 Wisconsin * (WCHA)

No. 6 Boston College (Hockey East) vs. No. 3 Ohio State (WCHA)

No. 5 Minnesota-Duluth (WCHA) vs. No. 4 Colgate * (ECAC Hockey)

* Earned automatic NCAA tournament berth by winning conference tournament championship 

The entire tournament will be contested on March 15-20 at the Erie Insurance Arena in Erie, PA, with the Frozen Four on March 18 (semifinals) and March 20 (championship game) to be televised live on the ESPN networks.

Last year's NCAA championship was canceled by COVID-19. Wisconsin, the 2019 NCAA champion, and Minnesota-Duluth have both earned five previous national championships apiece, the only schools in this year's field to have won an NCAA title.