UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Wisconsin Badgers survived a late push by Ohio State to earn their ninth national title on Sunday, taking a 3-2 victory in front of 3,785 fans at Pegula Arena on Penn State’s campus. Wisconsin’s nine national championships are the most of any program in the nation.
UW coach Mark Johnson said he knew the opening ten minutes of the game would be crucial, with Ohio State playing at a high level over the course of the post-season. The Buckeyes controlled possession and put pressure on the Badgers, interrupting their attempts to breakout. But somewhat against the run of play, the Badgers were able to capitalize early.
Just 1:18 into the game Adéla Šapovalivová cycled the puck to the top of the zone and let loose with a shot that Kelly Gorbatenko tipped with her back to the net to redirect it past Ohio State Hailey MacLeod to make it a 1-0 game. Six minutes later, Gorbatenko chased down a puck behind the net and reversed direction. Defender Laney Potter had crept into the slot and as Gorbatenko changed directions, Potter cheated outside and was able to one-time the feed from Gorbatenko between MacLeod’s leg and the near post to make it 2-0 before eight minutes had elapsed in the game. The goal was Wisconsin’s third shot attempt and shot on goal. OSU had 18 shot attempts at that point.
The teams were scoreless in the second and tied in shots at 23. Ohio State killed three penalties in the frame and six overall, keeping Wisconsin’s top-ranked power play scoreless in the game.
“I thought we did a very good job defending. That’s what you have to do when it comes down to this time of the season. We talked about how special teams and good goaltending are going to be key. I thought that we did both. They were very structured and desired to kill that and not allow a goal to transpire from a power play,” Ohio State coach Nadine Muzerall said.
Johnson noted that OSU’s forecheck was particularly potent in the second period all season long, saying that 45% of the team’s goals came during that middle frame. He felt it was a win for his team to withstand the pressure and escape to intermission still holding the 2-0 lead.
But Ohio State pushed early in the third, tying the game in a matter of two minutes. Kassidy Carmichael deflected a shot that defender Mira Jungåker took from along the far boards to make it a 2-1 game.
Faceoffs were a key part of the game, with the Badgers struggling to win the puck, particularly on defense. Forward Jocelyn Amos was prolific for the Buckeyes and that paid off for their second goal of the game as she won the puck and got it to Joy Dunne. Dunne fed the puck back to Emma Peschel on the blue line. Her long distance shot was saved by Ava McNaughton, but she left the puck loose in front. Amos picked it up and tucked it around a sprawling McNaughton to tie the game with under six elapsed in the third.
“This was our sixth time playing this team, so I got to know their centers pretty well over the course of the season. I remember as the season goes on what each of [them] like to do, and I just take mental notes as we go,” said Amos.
With Ohio State gathering all the momentum early in the period, Harvey said the Badgers weren’t rattled.
“There was never a doubt. There’s the highs and lows of games, but our team stayed very grounded and I was proud of the group for how we handled that. We faced a lot of adversity this year, and I think that adversity we faced early on, it really prepped us for that moment. We were calm, cool, collected,” she said.
The teams traded opportunities as the clock wound down, with both goalies making massive saves to keep the game tied.
In a game filled with Olympians, it was Badger fourth-liner Claire Enright that scored the game-winner. She was assisted by long-time linemate Marianne Picard, who backhanded the puck off the boards to Enright as she moved around the outside of the faceoff circle. As she came around towards net, she saw open space. Walking in on net, she picked the far post and scored to give Wisconsin a 3-2 lead with 6:18 left on the clock.
“We’d been buzzing all game. So we kind of knew it was coming. Picard just passed right down. I had a chance to go the net. Nobody was forcing me any which way, and I was going to take my chance and just shoot it. We had been saying on the bench, ‘let’s get all the shots on net we can. No shot is a bad shot.’ So I took my lane and I went to net and lucky enough I scored,” said Enright.
Picard said she doesn’t remember much of the play, just that when the puck went in she felt like she was out of breath and having a panic attack as she jumped on Enright yelling “oh my god” over and over again. She said she was moving on muscle memory.
“I feel like once you get to the third period, the adrenaline is so high you can’t feel your body. I just passed it to Claire, and then she she scored it. It’s like a electric shock through your body. It’s so special. We’ve been linemates for the last four years and this was the last goal of the season and assisting Claire, it was the best way to go out.”
Ohio State pulled the goal with 1:42 left on the clock. They put the pressure on, but the Badger defense, which had 22 blocks in the game, stayed strong alongside McNaughton.
Things got interesting in the final 50 seconds when chaos in front of the net led to a number of players on the ice and eventually, a whistle from the refs. After conferring with the official, Muzerall asked for a coach’s challenge.
“My hockey operations director thought that there was a touch of the puck, as well. The ref said if there’s any kind of touch of the puck and it goes back into the crease, even if [the player who touched it] is out the crease, it’s still a penalty. So we went for it,” Muzerall said.
The 2025 title game involved a coach’s challenge for a covered puck, but in that instance it was Mark Johnson issuing the challenge. He was successful and Kirsten Simms would go on to score on the ensuing penalty shot to tie the game with 18.9 seconds on the clock and force overtime, where she scored to win Wisconsin the championship.
Picard said the wait was horrible and gave her flashbacks to last season.
Unfortunately for OSU, the challenge was unsuccessful, which resulted in a penalty for delay of game for the Buckeyes as they’d already used their timeout. They opted to keep MacLeod out of the goal, playing 5-on-5. Ohio State put pressure on and even earned an icing and offensive zone faceoff. But the Badger defense stayed strong. With 6.7 seconds left, Dunne was called for hooking to put the Buckeyes down two players. Wisconsin killed the rest of the clock to win the 2026 National Championship.
“I don’t think a lot of us and a lot of you thought Claire Enright was going to get a game winning goal, but that’s how it happens,” said Johnson.
He credited the work his team put in through ups and downs of the season that made them able to weather Ohio State’s comeback and still come out on top.
“A lot of things went into putting together the group this year, but all the credit goes to the group. They’re the ones that have to go on the ice and perform and give us a chance to win. You go right down the list of players and they all made a contribution. I talked to them this morning and said ‘we’re going to need a team effort today. It’s going to take everybody, and everybody’s going to get an opportunity to play.’ “Give the players a lot of credit for pushing through. They did enough to get to the finish line and ended up winning. So we’re excited to bring the trophy again back to Madison,” he said.
2026 Women’s Frozen Four All-Tournament Team
F Kirsten Simms, Wisconsin
F Laila Edwards, Wisconsin
F Tessa Janecke, Penn State
D Emma Peschel, Ohio State
D Caroline Harvey, Wisconsin
G Ava McNaughton, Wisconsin
Most Outstanding Player
G Ava McNaughton, Wisconsin