Women’s College Hockey Game of the Week: No. 1 Wisconsin vs No. 2 Ohio State

Wisconsin and Ohio State have been on top of the women’s college hockey pyramid as of late, with each of the last five national championship trophies residing in either Columbus or Madison.

This will be the first meeting between the teams since the 2024 national championship, in which the Buckeyes won 1-0, thanks to a late goal from Joy Dunne. This was a rematch of the 2023 national championship that the Badgers won by a score of 1-0.

The WCHA foes will face each other for a two-game series on Friday and Saturday in Columbus.

The Badgers remain unbeaten with a 12-0 record, most recently getting two shutout wins over No. 8 St.Cloud State. Wisconsin also holds impressive wins over No. 3 Minnesota and No. 4 Minnesota-Duluth.

The Buckeyes are currently 11-2-2 but have not lost since their first two games of the season against Minnesota-Duluth. Ohio State has top 10 wins over St. Lawrence, Minnesota and St. Cloud State.

The matchup consists of the two most powerful offenses in the nation. The Badgers have scored more goals than any other team this season with 75. The Buckeyes fall right behind with 65 goals this season.

To add to an already dominant offensive résumé, five of the top 10 national leaders in points per game are Badgers.

Defensively, Wisconsin has only allowed nine goals this season, winning by four or more goals in all but one game this season. Out of the 12 games won this season, seven of them have been shutouts.

The Badgers are led by the dominant trio of Casey O’Brien, Caroline Harvey and Laila Edwards.

O’Brien is the reigning National Player of the Year and has picked up right where she left off. O’Brien leads the nation in assists (19) and assists per game (1.58). Her teammate Harvey trails right behind her with 17 assists and 1.42 assists per game.

Edwards is the best in the nation at putting the puck in the net, with 13 goals and 1.08 goals per game this season.

When it comes to goaltenders, there are not many better than Wisconsin’s Ava McNaughton.

McNaughton’s .961 save percentage is second in the nation and first in the WCHA. McNaughton leads the nation with a .820 goals-against-average. She is one of only two goalies who has not lost or tied a game this season.

However, McNaughton and the Badger defense have not faced another high-power offense like Ohio State this season.

The Buckeyes average 4.33 goals per game, which is second in the WCHA behind only Wisconsin (6.25).

Jenna Buglioni, Joy Dunne and Jocelyn Amos all have 11 goals to their names this season, which is the second most in the nation and in the WCHA. The trio also places top 10 nationally in goals per game average (0.73).

Emma Peschel is the best Buckeye when it comes to sharing the puck, placing third in the WCHA in both assists (14) and assists per game (0.93). Ohio State will rely on Peschel to set up scoring opportunities against a tough defense.

This game will show what happens when two powerhouses clash, as these rivals yet again find themselves battling for the top spot.

Gianna Dowling is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, please email gmd5738@psu.edu.