Game #3 - USA vs Switzerland Preliminary Round - Group A action at the 2024 IIHF Ice Hockey Women's World Championship at Adirondack Bank Center on April 3, 2024 in Utica, New York, USA.
photo: © International Ice Hockey Federation / Andre Ringuette
The Wisconsin Badgers upset the Ohio State Buckeyes, 4-3 in overtime of the championship game of the NCAA’s women’s Frozen Four on Sunday afternoon. The win came in a wild and thrilling finish that saw the Buckeyes a mere 18.9 seconds from earning their second title in a row and third in four years. They have been to the last four Frozen Four finals and were favourites at the start of this one.
But the game ended in spectacular fashion. Ohio State built a 3-2 lead by the early part of the second period and nursed that score almost to the end. But an incredible bench error saw the Buckeyes called for too many skaters with just 1:50 remaining in the third. That set off a series of mesmerizing events.
First, Wisconsin coach Mark Johnson, a member of USA’s Miracle on Ice and as such only too familiar with hockey drama, decided not to pull goalie Ava McNaughton at any time during the late power play. This seemed like a mistake, as OSU did a gritty and brilliant job of killing off the penalty.
But with less than 20 seconds to go, the puck skidded under fallen Buckeyes goalie Amanda Thiele in the crease. Maddi Wheeler, herself sliding towards the goal, instinctively put her hand on the puck and swept it away from the goal line, but a video challenge confirmed the obvious—she had closed her hand on the puck in the crease. Penalty shot.
At the Wisconsin bench, in a most extraordinary gesture, coach Johnson called out to his players, “Who wants it?” and Simms immediately put up her hand. She went in on Thiele, made a sensational deke, and slid the puck into the open side, tying the game with 18.9 seconds and sending the game to overtime.
OSU had a couple of decent chances early in the OT, but then Lacey Eden of Wisconsin bolted down the right wing and fired a low shot. Thiele kicked out the rubber, and it came right to Watts. She wasted no time in sliding the puck in for her second of the game, giving the Badgers a most incredible women’s national championship.
“It doesn’t feel real,” Simms enthused. “This team went to bat all game. We fought through a ton of adversity, and to come out on top is just exactly what we wanted.”
“Give Simms the amount of credit for stepping up and wanting to do and then execute in the big moment, added coach Johnson.”
“It kind of was everybody on the bench like, ‘Simms, you’re taking it!'” Simms explained. “I was like, ‘You know what? Fine, I’ll do it.’ I was so nervous … just couldn’t think while I was going. Just had to try to be confident with it. But it worked out.”
Joy Dunne for OSU and Laila Edwards of Wisconsin had scored 12 seconds apart in the first to make it 1-1, but Sloane Matthews put the Buckeyes ahead later in the first. Teams exchanged goals in the second. Emma Peschel made it 3-1 after only ten seconds, and Caroline Harvey made it a one-goal game again at 5:27.
The game was played at the Ridder Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where all games of the Frozen Four took place.
In the semi-finals on Friday, Wisconsin had defeated Minnesota, 6-2, behind a hat trick from Edwards. The 21-year-old made a name for herself internationally at last year’s Women’s Worlds, being named tournament MVP on the strength of six goals in seven games. Simms, who was Edwards’s teammate at that 2024 WW, also scored in the semi-finals, along with Caroline Harvey, a 22-year-old who has been on the All-Star Team at the last three Women’s Worlds, and Casey O’Brien, this year’s Patty Kazmaier Award winner.
Ohio State had eliminated Cornell with a 4-2 win in the other semi-finals. The Buckeyes took a 2-0 lead in the first, only to see the Big Red tie it in the second. But two goals from Joy Dunne, younger sister of Jincy, sealed the victory and took OSU to their fourth consecutive championship game.
Johnson has been coaching the Badgers since 2010. This is his fifth national title (the program now has eight in total), but none is more improbable and spectacular than this. During the season, they had a phenomenal 38-2-1 record, their only regulation loss all year coming to Ohio State back in November.
Johnson’s roster includes 20 Americans and four Canadians, many of whom have IIHF experience. American Maggie Scannell, for instance, played at three Women’s U18s in a row, winning a gold, silver, and bronze. Eden has two U18s under her belt as well as four senior Women’s Worlds, notably a gold medal in 2023. Canadian Emma Venusio, meanwhile, played on Canada’s gold-medal team at the 2023 U18s.
“It’s surreal, Johnson said of the win. “I’ve got to take a few minutes, a few days, to figure out how it actually happened. But we’re national champs. So, awesome.”
But the game ended in spectacular fashion. Ohio State built a 3-2 lead by the early part of the second period and nursed that score almost to the end. But an incredible bench error saw the Buckeyes called for too many skaters with just 1:50 remaining in the third. That set off a series of mesmerizing events.
First, Wisconsin coach Mark Johnson, a member of USA’s Miracle on Ice and as such only too familiar with hockey drama, decided not to pull goalie Ava McNaughton at any time during the late power play. This seemed like a mistake, as OSU did a gritty and brilliant job of killing off the penalty.
But with less than 20 seconds to go, the puck skidded under fallen Buckeyes goalie Amanda Thiele in the crease. Maddi Wheeler, herself sliding towards the goal, instinctively put her hand on the puck and swept it away from the goal line, but a video challenge confirmed the obvious—she had closed her hand on the puck in the crease. Penalty shot.
At the Wisconsin bench, in a most extraordinary gesture, coach Johnson called out to his players, “Who wants it?” and Simms immediately put up her hand. She went in on Thiele, made a sensational deke, and slid the puck into the open side, tying the game with 18.9 seconds and sending the game to overtime.
OSU had a couple of decent chances early in the OT, but then Lacey Eden of Wisconsin bolted down the right wing and fired a low shot. Thiele kicked out the rubber, and it came right to Watts. She wasted no time in sliding the puck in for her second of the game, giving the Badgers a most incredible women’s national championship.
“It doesn’t feel real,” Simms enthused. “This team went to bat all game. We fought through a ton of adversity, and to come out on top is just exactly what we wanted.”
“Give Simms the amount of credit for stepping up and wanting to do and then execute in the big moment, added coach Johnson.”
“It kind of was everybody on the bench like, ‘Simms, you’re taking it!'” Simms explained. “I was like, ‘You know what? Fine, I’ll do it.’ I was so nervous … just couldn’t think while I was going. Just had to try to be confident with it. But it worked out.”
Joy Dunne for OSU and Laila Edwards of Wisconsin had scored 12 seconds apart in the first to make it 1-1, but Sloane Matthews put the Buckeyes ahead later in the first. Teams exchanged goals in the second. Emma Peschel made it 3-1 after only ten seconds, and Caroline Harvey made it a one-goal game again at 5:27.
The game was played at the Ridder Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where all games of the Frozen Four took place.
In the semi-finals on Friday, Wisconsin had defeated Minnesota, 6-2, behind a hat trick from Edwards. The 21-year-old made a name for herself internationally at last year’s Women’s Worlds, being named tournament MVP on the strength of six goals in seven games. Simms, who was Edwards’s teammate at that 2024 WW, also scored in the semi-finals, along with Caroline Harvey, a 22-year-old who has been on the All-Star Team at the last three Women’s Worlds, and Casey O’Brien, this year’s Patty Kazmaier Award winner.
Ohio State had eliminated Cornell with a 4-2 win in the other semi-finals. The Buckeyes took a 2-0 lead in the first, only to see the Big Red tie it in the second. But two goals from Joy Dunne, younger sister of Jincy, sealed the victory and took OSU to their fourth consecutive championship game.
Johnson has been coaching the Badgers since 2010. This is his fifth national title (the program now has eight in total), but none is more improbable and spectacular than this. During the season, they had a phenomenal 38-2-1 record, their only regulation loss all year coming to Ohio State back in November.
Johnson’s roster includes 20 Americans and four Canadians, many of whom have IIHF experience. American Maggie Scannell, for instance, played at three Women’s U18s in a row, winning a gold, silver, and bronze. Eden has two U18s under her belt as well as four senior Women’s Worlds, notably a gold medal in 2023. Canadian Emma Venusio, meanwhile, played on Canada’s gold-medal team at the 2023 U18s.
“It’s surreal, Johnson said of the win. “I’ve got to take a few minutes, a few days, to figure out how it actually happened. But we’re national champs. So, awesome.”