Ohio State falls to Wisconsin in bid to repeat as NCAA women's hockey national champion

MINNEAPOLIS − The Ohio State women’s hockey team lost the national championship game in heartbreaking fashion on Sunday, falling 2:49 into overtime after giving up a penalty shot with just 18.9 seconds left in regulation that Wisconsin converted to tie the game and force the extra frame.

Wisconsin was on the power play because Ohio State was called for having too many players on the ice with 1:50 left in the third period. The Badgers put the pressure on, but goalie Amanda Thiele made save after save. With 18.9 seconds left, the Badgers called for a coach’s challenge. Video showed Ohio State's Maddi Wheeler covered the puck with her hand in the crease, and Wisconsin was awarded a penalty shot, which it scored to make it 3-3.

Coach Nadine Muzerall's Buckeyes dominated for much of the game, controlling the puck, putting pressure on the Badgers and holding the top-ranked offense in check only to see it slip away in the final few seconds of regulation.

Muzerall did not dispute the penalty shot being given, but she and her staff considered challenging the penalty shot itself, saying she thought Wisconsin forward Kirsten Simms moved the puck backward, which is not allowed.

"I get that it was a penalty shot," Muzerall said. "I just questioned the actual penalty shot, and we didn't have enough proof to rule against it in that quick moment."

The Buckeyes had used their timeout, and losing that challenge would result in a penalty while they already had a player in the box, meaning Wisconsin could have been playing six-on-three since they pulled their goalie for an extra attacker.

Despite giving up the tying goal, Ohio State had the first opportunities in the overtime and Muzerall hoped her team could pull the momentum back.

“Going in overtime with them tying it so late, it was hard," said Buckeye defender Emma Peschel. "We knew that there was a momentum shift. We talked about that all weekend, but we knew that right from the jump we had to get on it. We had to get that momentum back. And unfortunately, we couldn't grasp it.”

Kirsten Simms put back a rebound off a kick save from Thiele to end the game 2:49 into overtime. The game-winner was the only time Wisconsin led.

“There's not a lot to really say after a tough loss," Muzerall said. "These are fantastic human beings. I think they played phenomenal tonight. It’s the way we lost with 18 seconds left. It was an unfortunate outcome.”

The first period was a frenetic back and forth between these two well-matched teams. Ohio State broke through first as Jenna Buglioni won a faceoff in the defensive zone at the start of the first power play of the game. She fed Joy Dunne, who broke out and took the puck coast to coast, skating around the Wisconsin defense and pulling the goalie to one side before pushing the puck around her the other direction to make it a 1-0 game.

But the lead lasted just 12 seconds, as Wisconsin was still on the power play. Cleveland Heights native Laila Edwards grabbed a loose puck and pulled a similar move to Dunne’s to get past Thiele to tie the game 1-1. They were the fastest consecutive back-to-back goals from opposing teams in women’s Frozen Four history.

The Buckeyes took a 2-1 lead with five minutes left in the first when Sloane Matthews stole the puck in the neutral zone and headed straight to net, where she sniped the puck in the far top corner to give her team the lead heading into the first intermission.

Ohio State (29-7-3) increased their lead 10 seconds into the middle frame as Makenna Webster carried the puck up the right side after the faceoff and cycled behind the net. Her centering pass was deflected out where Peschel stepped up from the blue line and perfectly placed a rocket to the top shelf to give OSU a 3-1 lead.

It was the start to the period that the Buckeyes wanted.

“Before every single period we talked about resetting at 0-0” Peschel said. "That was a big thing for us - treat every single shift, every single period like the game has restarted, like we're down even one goal."

Wisconsin cut the lead to 3-2 five minutes later as Caroline Harvey one-timed a shot to the top of the net.

The Buckeye defense was smothering in the final frame, stuffing up the middle of the ice and in front of the net and keeping the Badgers from doing anything for much of the second and third periods. A late penalty for too many skaters put Wisconsin at the advantage late and then they pulled their goalie for an extra skater to make it a 6-on-4. Thiele came up big again and again but the covered puck was a difference maker.

“These are also the games that we want to play," Dunne said. "We came to Ohio State to win national championships and play in the best league, and we want to be in these moments.

“Obviously the end goal, the physical goal, is to win a national championship. But there's a lot more you learn along the way. I can't speak for everybody, but I know there'll be a drive for sure for next year. First, we're going to focus on this group and what we've accomplished, because we may have not won this particular game, but there's a lot to be proud of.”

This story has been updated to add a gallery.