Wisconsin wins the 2023 NC women's ice hockey championship
Wisconsin wins the NC women's hockey national championship
Wisconsin won its seventh national championship, the most all time, with a 1-0 win over defending champion No. 1 Ohio State on Sunday.
Kirsten Simms scored for the Badgers, and Cami Kronish stopped all 31 shots she faced for the shutout.
Women's Frozen Four semifinal results
The last four teams were in action in the Women's Frozen Four on Friday from Duluth, Minnesota.
Here are the semifinal results:
The semifinal winners advance to Sunday's title game at 4 p.m. ET.
Click or tap here for the interactive bracket
The Women's Frozen Four is set
After a thrilling round of regionals, the field for the 2023 Women's Frozen Four is officially set.
Minnesota, Northeastern, Ohio State and Wisconsin each punched their ticket to Duluth, Minn., with wins in Saturday's quarterfinals.
The defending national champion Buckeyes, the top seed, came back for a 5-2 victory over Quinnipiac, who defeated Penn State, 3-2, in a marathon triple-overtime contest in the opening round. Against the Bobcats, OSU fell behind 1-0 at the end of the first period, but a big end to the second got them back on track, thanks to Gabby Rosenthal and Lauren Bernard. Sophie Jaques added a pair in the third as the Bucks were in cruise control.
Meanwhile, No. 5 Northeastern flew to a 4-1 win over No. 4 Yale. The top line of Chloé Aurard (1g, 1a), Alina Müller (1g, 1a) and Maureen Murphy (1g, 1a) showed out, doing all their damage in the third period. Gwyneth Philips stood tall in goal, making 38 saves.
In Hamilton, Wisconsin knocked off No. 3 Colgate, 4-2, after winning big in the opening round against LIU, 9-1. Casey O'Brien led the way with a goal and an assist, and third-period goals from Vivian Jungels and Laila Edwards provided critical insurance.
As for the No. 2 Gophers, they rolled to a 3-0 victory over cross-state rival Minnesota Duluth, this year's Frozen Four hosts. It took until midway through the second period for someone to break the stalemate when Madeline Wethington (1g, 1a) opened the scoring. Abbey Murphy and Catie Skaja added more cushion in the third. Skylar Vetter kept a clean sheet with 30 saves.
The Frozen Four will be held at AMSOIL Arena in Duluth. Both national semifinal games will be broadcast Friday, March 17. The first semifinal game will air on ESPN+ at 3:30 p.m. Eastern time with the second semifinal game also being broadcast on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. Eastern time. The national championship game will take place at 4 p.m. Eastern time, Sunday, March 19 on ESPNU.
𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐧 🏒 🏆#WFrozenFour pic.twitter.com/QfouIX667X
— NCAA Ice Hockey (@NCAAIceHockey) March 12, 2023
Results from Saturday's quarterfinal round
The 2023 NC women's ice hockey championship continued on Saturday with quarterfinal action.
Here's a look at today's results. Click or tap on each game for final stats:
- No. 2 Minnesota 3, Minnesota Duluth 0
- Wisconsin 4, No. 3 Colgate 2
- No. 5 Northeastern 4, No. 4 Yale 1
- No. 1 Ohio State 5, Quinnipiac 2
Click or tap here for the complete interactive bracket
Both national semifinal games will be broadcast Friday, March 17. The first semifinal game will air on ESPN+ at 3:30 p.m. Eastern time with the second semifinal game also being broadcast on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. Eastern time. The national championship game will take place at 4 p.m. Eastern time, Sunday, March 19 on ESPNU.
Results from Thursday's opening round action
The 2023 NC women's ice hockey championship kicked off with opening-round action on Thursday, featuring three matchups.
Here are all of the results:
2023 NC women's ice hockey championship field announced
Click or tap here to see the full bracket ➡️
The top five teams are seeded into the bracket, with the top four seeds hosting the regional competition. Regional semifinals will be played March 9 with the regional finals March 11. The winning team from each regional final will advance to the 2023 NCAA Women’s Frozen Four on March 17 and 19 at AMSOIL Arena in Duluth, Minnesota, with the University of Minnesota Duluth serving as host.
Five conferences were awarded automatic bids for the 2023 tournament. The remaining six teams were selected at-large. The automatic qualifying conferences and their representatives are College Hockey America, Penn State; ECAC Hockey, Colgate; Hockey East Association, Northeastern; New England Women’s Hockey Alliance, Long Island University; and Western Collegiate Hockey Association, Minnesota. Clarkson, Ohio State, Quinnipiac, Minnesota Duluth, Wisconsin and Yale were selected as at-large teams.
Ohio State enters the tournament as the No. 1 seed and will host and play the winner of the regional semifinal on Thursday in the Ohio State Ice Rink between Quinnipiac and Penn State. Minnesota, the No. 2 seed, will host and play the winner of the regional semifinal between Minnesota Duluth and Clarkson which will be held Thursday at Ridder Arena. Colgate enters the tournament as the No. 3 seed and will match-up against the winner of Thursday’s regional semifinal between Wisconsin and LIU. Yale, the No. 4 seed, will host Northeastern, the No. 5 seed, on March 11 in a regional final. All game times will be updated and posted on NCAA.com.
LIVE UPDATES: 2023 NC women's ice hockey championship
Both national semifinal games will be broadcast Friday, March 17. The first semifinal game will air on ESPN+ at 3:30 p.m. Eastern time with the second semifinal game also being broadcast on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. Eastern time. The national championship game will take place at 4 p.m. Eastern time, Sunday, March 19 on ESPNU.
The 2022 championship was played in University Park, Pennsylvania with Ohio State capturing the title by virtue of a 3-2 win over Minnesota Duluth.
The rest of the field is unveiled
The remaining six teams of the 11-team field has been revealed.
Penn State will make its debut in the national tournament after winning its first College Hockey America (CHA) title. LIU will also appear in the tournament for the first time as the New England Women's Hockey Alliance's (NEWHA) first auto bid.
Clarkson, Quinnipiac, Wisconsin and Minnesota Duluth make up the rest of the bracket.
Quinnipiac and Penn State will face off in the Columbus regional opening round with the winner advancing to face No. 1 Ohio State.
Wisconsin will battle LIU with a date with No. 3 Colgate on the line. Meanwhile, Duluth will square off with Clarkson with an eye towards a battle with No. 2 Minnesota.
All eyes on Duluth 🏒🏆
— NCAA Ice Hockey (@NCAAIceHockey) March 5, 2023
➡️ https://t.co/MEEy2Z5nsB#NCAAHockey pic.twitter.com/rGJQfuof2G
The top 5 seeds are revealed
The top five seeds have been unveiled for the 2023 NC women's ice hockey championship
Reigning national champion Ohio State earns the top overall seed. The Buckeyes are 31-5-2 on the season with Patty Kazmaier Award finalists in Sophie Jaques and Jennifer Gardiner.
Minnesota, who knocked off OSU in the WCHA championship, is the second overall seed. The Gophers are 29-5-3, led by reigning Patty Kaz winner (and current finalist) Taylor Heise as well as finalist Grace Zumwinkle.
ECAC champion Colgate is the No. 3 seed. The Raiders (32-5-2) were led by the nation's leading scorer in Danielle Serdachny, a Patty Kaz top-10 finalist, who had 70 points on the year.
Yale comes in at the No. 4 seed. The Bulldogs fell in an upset to Clarkson in the ECAC semifinal, but led the conference in the regular season. They're a year removed from their first tournament and Frozen Four appearance, led by Elle Hartje and goaltender Pia Dukaric.
Six-time Hockey East champion Northeastern checks in as the fifth overall seed. The Huskies (33-2-1) took home the conference regular season and tournament title, as well as the women's Beanpot championship. They're led by the top line of Alina Müller, Chloé Aurard and Maureen Murphy.
Watch LIVE! The NC women's ice hockey selection show is right now
The 2023 NC women's ice hockey tournament selection show is now live on ESPNews and ESPN+.
Click or tap here to watch the show.
🚨WATCH NOW🚨
— NCAA Ice Hockey (@NCAAIceHockey) March 5, 2023
The 2023 NCAA NC Women's Hockey Selection Show starts NOW! 🏒
📺 ESPNews
💻 https://t.co/LmxEGJG2oH#NCAAHockey pic.twitter.com/VvWXt2hvGd
How to watch the 2023 NC women's hockey selection show
The 2023 NCAA women's ice hockey selection show is scheduled for Sunday, March 5 at 12 p.m. ET. You can watch it on ESPNews and ESPN+ (subscription required). Shortly after, we will have the full bracket listed right here.
When: Sunday, March 5 at 12 p.m. ET
Where: Live on ESPNews and ESPN+ (subscription required)
2023 championship dates:
- Thursday, March 9 - Sunday, March, 12: Regionals
- Thursday, March 9 & Friday, March 10: Opening round
- Saturday, March 11 & Sunday, March 12: Quarterfinals
- Friday, March 17 - Sunday, March 19: Frozen Four
- Friday, March 17: Semifinals | 3:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. ET
- Sunday, March 19: National championship | 4 p.m. ET
All regional games will be played at sites of participating schools. The 2023 Women's Frozen Four will be played at AMSOIL Arena in Duluth, Minn.
What you need to know this season in women's hockey
It's been another wild year for women's college hockey. Through the ups and downs of a long season, some teams like Ohio State and Minnesota have remained juggernauts, as expected, while others like Yale and Colgate have put themselves firmly in the mix.
Here's the latest that you need to know:
Ohio State wins 2022 championship
The Buckeyes won their first-ever national title last season when they knocked off Minnesota Duluth in a 3-2 thriller.
After a scoreless first period, Paetyn Levis gave OSU a 1-0 lead early in the second, but UMD found an equalizer moments later to settle for the 1-1 tie through 40 minutes.
The Bucks and the Bulldogs traded goals in the first two minutes of the third period. Clair DeGeorge shoveled a backhand on goal off Levis' pass, and it found a way through to make it 2-1 just 24 seconds into the frame. A mere 1:23 later, Duluth found another equalizer when Anna Klein intercepted a breakout pass and fed Elizabeth Giguere in the high slot to tie it.
With 6:40 left, Kenzie Hauswirth's shot from the point deflected in off a defender for the clinching goal and 3-2 final.
NC women's hockey championship history
Below is the year-by-year team championship history in NCAA NC women's ice hockey. The tournament began in 2001 with Minnesota Duluth winning the inaugural title.
Ohio State claimed the most recent championship in 2022, 3-2 over UMD, for the program's first title.
YEAR | CHAMPION (RECORD) | SCORE | RUNNER-UP | SITE |
---|---|---|---|---|
2022 | Ohio State (32-6-0) | 3-2 | Minnesota Duluth | University Park, PA |
2021 | Wisconsin (17-3-1) | 2-1 (OT) | Northeastern | Erie, Pa. |
2020 | Canceled due to Covid-19 | -- | -- | -- |
2019 | Wisconsin (35-4-2) | 2-0 | Minnesota | Hamden, Conn. |
2018 | Clarkson (36-4-1) | 2-1 (OT) | Colgate | Minneapolis, Minn. |
2017 | Clarkson (32-4-5) | 3-0 | Wisconsin | St. Charles, Mo. |
2016 | Minnesota (35-4) | 3-1 | Boston College | Durham, N.H. |
2015 | Minnesota (34-3-4) | 4-1 | Harvard | Minneapolis |
2014 | Clarkson (31-5-5) | 5-4 | Minnesota | Hamden, Conn. |
2013 | Minnesota (41-0-0) | 6-3 | Boston University | Minneapolis |
2012 | Minnesota (33-5-2) | 4-2 | Wisconsin | Duluth, Minn. |
2011 | Wisconsin (37-2-2) | 4-1 | Boston University | Erie, Pa. |
2010 | Minnesota-Duluth (31-8-2) | 3-2 (3OT) | Cornell | Minneapolis |
2009 | Wisconsin (33-2-5) | 5-0 | Mercyhurst | Boston |
2008 | Minnesota-Duluth (34-4-1) | 4-0 | Wisconsin | Duluth, Minn. |
2007 | Wisconsin (36-1-4) | 4-1 | Minnesota-Duluth | Lake Placid, N.Y. |
2006 | Wisconsin (36-4-1) | 3-0 | Minnesota | Minnesota |
2005 | Minnesota (36-2-2) | 4-3 | Harvard | New Hampshire |
2004 | Minnesota (30-4-2) | 6-2 | Harvard | Providence |
2003 | Minnesota-Duluth (31-3-2) | 4-3 (2OT) | Harvard | Duluth, Minn. |
2002 | Minnesota-Duluth (24-6-4) | 3-2 | Brown | Durham, N.H. |
2001 | Minnesota-Duluth (28-5-4) | 4-2 | St. Lawrence | Minneapolis |