Wisconsin women's hockey learns NCAA Tournament opponent

Madison, WI — Because Wisconsin women's hockey earned the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, Wisconsin had to wait a few days to find out exactly which team it would be playing in this year's regional final. The Quinnipiac Bobcats and Franklin Pierce Ravens met in the regional semifinal, and now the winner faces a Wisconsin Badgers team that spent their Thursday evening intently watching their upcoming opponent.

Wisconsin (32-4-2, 24-4-2 WCHA) players and coaches watched from the stands inside UW's LaBahn Arena as Quinnipiac advanced with a 4-0 victory over Franklin Pierce. Bobcats goaltender Felicia Frank and Ravens goaltender Jill Hertl kept the game in a scoreless tie until QU's Emerson Jarvis broke through on a highlight-reel goal 4:10 remaining in the second period.

"I'm proud of our group, like, I thought we did a nice job really battling and continuing to push even when their goalie was just playing unreal," Bobcats head coach Cassandra Turner said in a post-game interview.

Franklin Pierce, which made the NCAA Tournament by winning the New England Women's Hockey Alliance (NEWHA) tournament to earn the conference's auto-qualifying bid, made the final margin closer than any other team from the NEWHA had since the league began receiving an automatic bid to the tournament in 2023.

"I couldn't be more proud of the way that we showed up and competed," FPU head coach David Stockdale said. "I don't think anyone really gave us much of a chance, but, you know, we were right in that thing for a long time."

Wisconsin women's hockey reacts to Quinnipiac win over Franklin Pierce

Emerson Jarvis, that one’s Top 10 certified.#BobcatNation x #NCAAHockey pic.twitter.com/8jcMBecWDZ
— Quinnipiac Women's Ice Hockey (@QU_WIH) March 13, 2026

Having a bye to the regional final allowed Wisconsin a few extra days of rest, preparation, and the opportunity to watch their two potential opponents face off. Badgers captain Caroline Harvey emphasized the camraderie her team enjoyed all getting to watch the game together.

"It was fun," Harvey remarked in an interview on Friday. "It's all part of your experience coming in, getting to watch who you're going to be facing come Saturday. But, yeah, it was exciting to have all the girls together."

A competitive hockey game makes for an entertaining evening, too.

"I mean, great game, it was pretty even for a good—obviously 0-0 for a long time and then they got a little edge and get out ahead of them and finished off 4-0," the WCHA Player of the Year added. "But that was exciting to watch and you know, know what to expect and we'll be ready to combat that tomorow."

"Both teams have earned the right to be here," Wisconsin women's hockey head coach Mark Johnson said of the regional final matchup. "They've had great season and, you know, it comes down to one game. one team gets to move on, the other team, their season's gonna end.

"That's what makes it exciting. That's why we call it March Madness."