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.

BC's Hagens Taken Seventh Overall in NHL Draft

Five players who skated in the NCAA last season were chosen last night in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

James Hagens (Boston College) went seventh overall to the Boston Bruins.  A 5-foot-11 center from Hauppauge, N.Y. Hagens tallied 11 goals and 26 assists for 37 points in 37 games as a freshman last season in helping the Eagles to the 2024-25 Hockey East regular-season championship. He also scored a game-winning goal against Bentley in the NCAA tournament, as BC ultimately finished one win short of making a second straight Frozen Four.

Logan Hensler (Wisconsin) was taken 23rd overall by the Ottawa Senators. A 6-foot-2 defenseman from Woodbury, Minn., Hensler collected 2-10—12 points in 32 games last season with the Badgers.

Will Horcoff (Michigan) was tabbed at 24th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins. A 6-foot-4 center from Bloomfield Hills, Mich., and the son of former Michigan State and NHL player Shawn Horcoff, he recorded 4-6—10 points in 18 appearances last season with the Wolverines.

Sascha Boumedienne (Boston University) was picked 28th overall by the Winnipeg Jets. A 6-foot-1 defenseman from Stockholm, Boumedienne registered 3-10—13 points in 40 outings in helping the Terriers to their third straight Frozen Four and first NCAA title game since 2009.

Cullen Potter (Arizona State) was chosen by the Calgary Flames with the 32nd and final selection of the first round. A 5-foot-10 center from Hortonville, Wisc., and the son of four-time U.S. Olympian and former Minnesota-Duluth skater Jenny Potter, and former Minnesota forward Rob Potter, he registered 13-9—22 points 35 contests last season with the Sun Devils.

The draft concludes on Saturday with Rounds 2-7.

ADDENDUM: The full list of college-related players drafted on both days can be found here.

Four Named to U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame

Jerry York (Boston College), Dean Blais (Minnesota), Tony Granato (Wisconsin) and Jenny Potter (Minnesota-Duluth) will all be inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame this fall.

York, a 1967 BC graduate who has led the Eagles to four NCAA titles since taking over as head coach in 1995, has notched a record 1,067 career wins overall with BC, Bowling Green and Clarkson since 1972, including 600 wins and 11 Hockey East regular season championships at his alma mater. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto last year.

Blais, who played at Minnesota between 1969 and 1973, and later played three years professionally with Dalls (CHL), became an assistant coach at North Dakota in 1980. He became head coach in 1994 and subsequently led UND to national titles in 1997 and 2000, and also guided Nebraska-Omaha to the 2015 NCAA Frozen Four before retiring two years later. In his long career, he also served as head coach with Roseau High School and International Falls High School in Minnesota, as an assistant/development coach with the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets, and as GM/Head Coach of Fargo (USHL). He also guided the U.S. at four different World Junior Championships, winning the gold medal in 2010.

Granato skated for Wisconsin from 1983 to 1987, where he tallied 100 goals and 220 points for the Badgers. He went on to play 13 seasons in the NHL from 1988 to 2001 with the New York Rangers, Los Angeles and San Jose, recording 248 goals and 244 for 292 points in 774 regular-season outings, and also played for the U.S. at the 1988 Olympic Winter Games in Calgary. A long-time NHL assistant coach with Colorado, Pittsburgh and Detroit, he twice served as head coach with Colorado, and has been head coach at Wisconsin since 2018.

Potter began her NCAA career with Minnesota in 1998-99 before transferring to UMD for her final three college campaigns. She registered 141-186—327 points in all, and also helped the Bulldogs to the 2003 NCAA title.  A four-time Olympian, she earned two silver medals, a gold medal and a bronze medal while playing for the U.S., and also won a CWHL title with Boston in 2015. A former pro player with the Minnesota Whitecaps, she has served as an assistant high school hockey coach in Minnesota, and as head coach with the women's programs at both Trinity College and Ohio State University.

In other news, the 2020-21 NCAA hockey season is not expected to begin until just before Thanksgiving.