RECAP: Wisconsin women's hockey beats Ohio State in overtime, earns eighth national title
TIE GAME. TIE GAME. SIMMS. BADGERS REMAIN ON THE POWER PLAY (0:29 remaining). pic.twitter.com/Hs7d5ODVli — Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerWHockey) March 23, 2025
The Wisconsin women's hockey program claimed its eighth national title with a 4-3 overtime win over Ohio State on Sunday afternoon.
In one of the UW's more thrilling victories of a dominant 2024-25 season, junior forward Kirsten Simms played the hero. The junior forward made the two biggest plays of the evening, the first in the final seconds of the third period and the second in overtime.
Trailing 3-2 late in the third period, Wisconsin was awarded a penalty shot after an Ohio State player appeared to cover a puck in the crease. Only 18.9 seconds remained in regulation. Head coach Mark Johnson sent out Simms, a First-Team All-American and WCHA Player of the Year, to take the shot.
The forward dangled the puck left, deked Buckeye goaltender Amanda Thiele out of position and put the puck in the back of the net, tying the game at three.
The goal ultimately pushed the championship game into a sudden victory overtime period, a frame that proved historic for one of the most decorated programs in the country.
Within the first three minutes of the extra period, redshirt senior Lacy Eden fired a shot from the right of the net in open space. Thiele deflected the shot, though did so right to Simms, the game's hero, who flipped the winning shot into the back of the net.
A jam-packed Ridder Arena erupted as the Badgers immediately rallied around Simms in celebration.
THE BADGERS BATTLE BACK FOR THE NATTY IN THE OVERTIME WIN 😤 @badgerwhockey takes back the national title from the Buckeyes for the second time in the last three years 🏆 pic.twitter.com/1HMLkuVKSh — espnW (@espnW) March 23, 2025
The Badgers bested the Buckeyes in the Frozen Four title game for the second time in the last three seasons. The Badgers have now won four championships in the last six Frozen Fours and eight overall since 2006. No program has won more than six since the championship began in 2001.
Wisconsin finished the season with an overall record of 38-1-2. Its only loss came against Ohio State back on Nov. 16. From then on, Mark Johnson's group went an incredible 25-0-2. With the title-clinching win, the Badgers continue to cement themselves as one of the most prolific dynasties in the history of college athletics.
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