Ohio State women’s hockey loses national championship game to Wisconsin

Despite having a memorable season and a fairly easy path to the NCAA Women’s Hockey Frozen Four, it wasn’t meant to be for Ohio State’s women’s hockey team. The Buckeyes fought hard but fell to the Wisconsin Badgers 1-0 in Sunday afternoon’s national title game in Duluth, Minnesota.

The type of game that unfolded was not what one would expect from two high-scoring teams, but Wisconsin used a defensive approach that frustrated Ohio State and didn’t lead to many high-quality scoring chances for the Buckeyes. It was a stark contrast to OSU’s semifinal win over Northeastern when the Buckeyes seemed to camp in their own offense.

For Wisconsin, the chances didn’t come too often either, but the Badgers capitalized on a quality shot from Kirsten Simms in the slot at 13:28 of the first period to set the tone.

And that would be the whole score for the whole game. Ohio State outscored Wisconsin 31-22 for the game, but couldn’t generate much on sustained offense due to an inability to carry the puck through the neutral zone. Many of the shots were taken from distance from the net or with significant resistance from the Badgers.

Despite the loss, Ohio State still has much to be proud of. It was the program’s third straight trip to the Frozen Four and a season in which the Buckeyes were ranked No. 1 for most of the season. There’s also a first-ever regular-season WCHA championship to remember.

Now, with a core of veteran players leaving the program, it will be interesting to see how OSU turns the page on the future.

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The story originally appeared on Buckeye Wire

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