The last two national champions collide on Sunday as No. 2 Wisconsin takes on No. 1 Ohio State for the NCAA women’s hockey title.
No. 2 Wisconsin (35-5-0), the defending NCAA women’s hockey champion, faces off with Western Collegiate Hockey Association rival, No. 1 Ohio State (34-4-0), on Sunday in a matchup of the sport’s last two national champs and the top two-ranked programs in the country. The teams advanced to the championship game with semifinal victories on Friday at the Whittemore Center Arena in Durham, New Hampshire. The Badgers have momentum in the form of a seven-game winning streak that includes a 6-3 victory over the Buckeyes in the WCHA Final FaceOff on March 9 in Minneapolis. Ohio State had been the unanimous No. 1 team in NCAA women’s hockey before that loss but has recovered with consecutive wins.
How to Watch NCAA Tournament, Championship, Wisconsin vs. Ohio State, in Women’s College Hockey Today:
Game Date: March 24, 2024
Game Time: 4 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN U
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The Buckeyes scored three goals in the third period to pull away from No. 4 seed Clarkson in Friday’s semifinal for a 4-1 victory. Sloane Matthews put the puck in the net at 13:12 of the period to lift OSU to a 2-1 load and Joy Dunne added an insurance marker with three minutes left. Raygan Kirk stopped 17 shots in the win.
Vivian Jungels put Wisconsin up 2-0 at 11:29 in the third period en route to a 3-1 victory over third-seeded Colgate on Friday. Kirsten Simms opened the scoring at 11:00 of the first and Laila Edwards sealed it with an empty-netter with 12 seconds to go. Ava McNaughton made 24 saves, including stopping 13-of-14 shots in the third period.
Dunne’s 23 goals lead Ohio State while Hannah Bilka comes in with 22 goals and 47 points. Kirk is 21-2-0 with nine shutouts, a .941 save percentage and 1.10 goals-against average. Simms paces the Badgers with 33 goals and 75 points and they have five 20-goal scorers on the roster. McNaughton is 20-2-0 with five shutouts, a .934 save percentage and 1.47 GAA.
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