Ohio State Women’s Hockey Team Wins First National Championship In Program History
The Ohio State women’s hockey team won the first national championship in program history with a 3-2 win over Minnesota-Duluth at Penn State’s Pegula Ice Arena on Sunday evening.
Neither team scored in the first period, but senior forward Paetyn Levis got the Buckeyes on the board with a power play goal at the 15:50 mark of the second period. The Bulldogs then tied it up with 6:50 left in the period on a rebound goal from junior forward Naomi Rogge.
Ohio State regained the lead just 24 seconds into the third period on a goal from fifth-year senior and Bemidji State transfer forward Clair DeGeorge, but Minnesota-Duluth tied it again at the 18:13 mark on a goal from fifth-year senior forward Elizabeth Giguere off of a turnover.
Junior forward Kenzie Hauswirth ultimately netted the game-winning goal for the Buckeyes with 6:40 remaining in the third period on a shot that deflected off the skate of a defender, while senior goaltender Amanda Thiele was able to keep the Bulldogs out of the net the rest of the way for the victory.
This was Ohio State’s third trip to the Frozen Four – all of which have come under the direction of head coach Nadine Muzerall – though the Buckeyes lost in the national semifinal in 2018 and 2021 to eventual national champions Clarkson and Wisconsin, respectively. They knocked off Yale on Friday for their first trip to the title game.
“I just believed in these girls so much, as they did in each other, and I thought this was one of the best hockey games they played all year,” Muzerall said after the game. “So deserving of it and they never quit. They played flawlessly tonight. I'm so proud of them.”
Ohio State finishes the season with a school-record 32 wins compared to just six losses, and will now bring the championship hardware – including Levis' Most Valuable Player award – back to Columbus for the first time after avenging two of those losses on Sunday evening.
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