Wisconsin upset to win NCAA women’s hockey title

No. 1 Ohio State was beaten in the NCAA Women’s National Hockey Championship game, with the University of Wisconsin holding on for the 1-0 victory on Sunday.

It was Wisconsin’s seventh championship win, the most in women’s college hockey history. Previously, they tied with the University of Minnesota for most at the Frozen Four. The team previously won in 2019 and 2021, with the 2020 tournament canceled due to COVID-19.

Kirsten Simms’ first-period goal was the only scorer, with 23-year-old goaltender Cami Kronish notching a 31-save shutout. Kronish was named tournament MVP after her perfect run at the most important moment. The redshirt senior played just six games between 2019 and 2022, but was 20-8-2 with seven shutouts and a .929 save percentage this season.

The loss marked the first time Ohio State was ruled out all season.

After losing to the University of Minnesota in the WCHA Semifinals, the Badgers needed to win three straight games against the top three ranked schools. The University of Wisconsin then beat Long Island University, Colgate University (No. 3), and the University of Minnesota (No. 2) to advance to the finals.

Had Ohio State managed to win, they would have been the fourth straight team to win back-to-back tournaments. The University of Wisconsin was the most recent to do so, with the University of Minnesota (2015-16) and Clarkson University (2017-18) having passed before that.