WISCONSIN BADGERS

Wisconsin sweeps convincingly; Bemidji State seniors get their moment

Jared Rubado — Sat, 22 Feb 2025 23:41:17 GMT

BEMIDJI – For all intents and purposes, the remaining 90 seconds in the Bemidji State women’s hockey game was a formality on Saturday afternoon.

The Beavers trailed top-ranked Wisconsin 6-1, surrendering six unanswered goals. The Badgers were closing out their 31st win, capping one of the most dominant regular-season performances by any team in the history of women’s college hockey.

With the game out of reach, BSU head coach Amber Fryklund changed up her lines.

She elected to put Geno Hendrickson. Shelby Breiland, Kendra Fortin, Alyssa Watkins and Makenna Deering on the ice together for one last shift as the five original Bemidji State seniors.

“I’m super proud of them for their commitment to our program over the last four years and the things they’ve done here in the classroom, the community and on the ice,” Fryklund said. “I’m really proud of them, and they all played really well. They brought the energy. Our whole team, the way they came around them and celebrated them was so special.”

After the 6-1 loss, the five seniors were joined by Meredith Killian and Josie Bothun for Senior Night festivities. Killian transferred into Bemidji State after three seasons with Union to play defense. Bothun transferred in from Penn State to play goalie before undergoing a career-ending hip surgery.

“It’s like they’ve been here for four years,” Fryklund said. “The way they were embraced by this team was great, but what they both bring to our program, they’re just great people. They’re both good leaders. Meredith played a lot this year and Josie had an injury, but both of them brought so much experience and leadership to this team.”

The Beavers’ seven honorees went through the typical Senior Night traditions. Each player welcomed friends and family on the ice and hugged each coach before receiving flowers. Two seniors from the 2023-24 class, Kayla Santl and Khloe Lund, surprised the Beavers by reading the starting lineups in the locker room before the game.

“It’s certainly an emotional day, but we’re not done yet,” Fryklund said. “We still have work to do. But you’ll miss those seniors and their leadership and what they bring.”

For as much as Fryklund liked her team’s first period on Friday afternoon, Saturday’s was even better.

Bemidji State took a 1-0 lead over Wisconsin eight minutes into the game off the stick of Raeley Carney. Badgers goaltender Quinn Kuntz misplayed a breakout pass, directing it right to Carney.

“That goal was huge,” Fryklund said. “We talked this morning about the importance of when we get pucks deep, we have to make sure a (forward) stays on them, and Rae did that. She was able to capitalize by just getting a puck on net. Scoring first was a huge confidence boost.”

With the Beavers scoring the game’s first goal, they snapped a 12-game streak in which Wisconsin never trailed Bemidji State. The last time BSU held a lead of any kind over UW was Feb. 25, 2022, in a 2-1 road loss. It was also the last time Bemidji State beat Wisconsin in a period.

However, much like Friday night, Fryklund expected the Badgers to punch back, and they laced up their boxing gloves extra tight.

Kirsten Simms tied the game two minutes into the middle frame with a power-play goal before Lacey Eden put the Badgers ahead on a separate 5-on-4 advantage. After Laila Edwards gave UW a 3-1 lead by tipping in her 30th goal this season, Simms scored again on the power play late in the second period.

Wisconsin finished 3 for 3 on the power play. Simms, Eden and O’Brien combined for three goals and six assists on those three chances.

“You have to stay out of the box,” Fryklund said. “Yesterday, we stayed out of the box, and it helped. They moved the puck around really well. We were trying to get in shot-block lanes but I think they got a lot of passes through the house area. We weren’t able to deny that. It’s a good power play and there’s a reason they’re the No. 1 team in the country.”

Simms completed the hat trick 59 seconds into the third period. She finished the weekend with three goals and two assists. Hannah Halverson added the sixth and final goal for the Badgers early in the third.

Bemidji State ended the regular season with a record of 6-28-1 (4-24-0 WCHA). Wisconsin improved to 31-1-2 (25-1-2 WCHA) and will host the Beavers next weekend at Labahn Arena for the WCHA Quarterfinals in a best-of-three series.

“We had some opportunities yesterday that we didn’t capitalize on, and today we did, too,” Fryklund said. “We had a couple of breakaways and I think we hit a post in the first (period). We certainly had some opportunities today, which is great for us. But we have to capitalize on them.”

No. 1 Wisconsin 6, Bemidji State 1

UW 0 4 2 – 6

BSU 1 0 0 – 1

First period – BSU GOAL: Carney (unassisted) 7:59.

Second period – UW GOAL: Simms (O’Brien, Eden) PPG, 2:03; UW GOAL: Eden (O’Brien, Simms) PPG, 8:23; UW GOAL: Edwards (Jungels) 12:04; UW GOAL: Simms (Eden, O’Brien) PPG, 16:43;

Third period – UW GOAL: Simms (unassisted) 0:59; UW GOAL: Halverson (Scannell) 3:17;

Saves – Groess (BSU) 28; Kuntz (UW) 18.

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Beavers receive counterpunch, fall against top-ranked Wisconsin

Jared Rubado — Sat, 22 Feb 2025 00:30:57 GMT

BEMIDJI – Wisconsin and the Bemidji State women’s hockey team are about to get very familiar with each other.

Friday afternoon’s penultimate regular-season game pitted the nation’s top-ranked team against the Beavers for the first of at least four consecutive games against each other.

With the Badgers locked into the top spot in the WCHA standings, and with BSU out of reach of climbing out of eighth place, UW will host Bemidji State next weekend at Labahn Arena for the WCHA Quarterfinals.

If Friday’s performance was a precursor, the Beavers are upset hunting. BSU hung tough with the Badgers in a 6-1 loss.

Bemidji State did a serviceable job in limiting top-ranked Wisconsin’s scoring chances in the first period.

The Badgers outshot the Beavers 11-2 and took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. The only defensive blemish came a little over six minutes into the game when Caroline Harvey slid a shot through a screen by BSU goaltender Kaitlin Groess.

“It comes down to the importance of how we play defensively and shutting plays down,” head coach Amber Fryklund said. “Hockey’s not perfect, you don’t get to choose the turnovers you have or the mistakes you make. But we can tighten up some areas. … Our first 20 (minutes), we did a really good job of playing defensively, and that’s something we can continue to build on.

Despite not getting a shot on goal until there were just under three minutes left in the first period, Bemidji State’s top line nearly converted in the closing seconds before the first intermission. Morgan Smith, Isa Goettl and Shelby Sandberg nearly connected on a tic-tac-toe passing sequence before UW goalie Ava McNaughton poked away Goettl’s one-time pass to Sandberg.

McNaughton later denied Alyssa Watkins on a breakaway early in the second period after Talya Hendrickson blocked a shot. Izy Faichild hit a post while the Beavers were on a power play shortly after.

“When we get those chances, you can tell the energy on the bench is really good,” Fryklund said. “Simplicity gains momentum. If we keep the game simple, chip pucks around them and make the simple plays, that helps us gain momentum. We were getting those chances, and hopefully, we can come back tomorrow, keep it simple defensively and capitalize on the opportunities we get.”

Geno Hendrickson finally paid off a BSU scoring chance midway through the second period. After Sarah Wozniewicz took an offensive-zone cross checking penalty, scored on the player-advantage to tie the game.

The power-play tally ended UW’s shutout streak against Bemidji State. Wisconsin had not given up a goal against the Beavers since Oct. 21, 2023, a streak that stretched 313 minutes and 49 seconds of game time.

However, the Badgers wasted little time in taking the lead back.

Lacey Eden sparked a partial breakaway following a BSU neutral-zone turnover. Groess stopped the initial scoring chance before the rebound kicked out to Cassie Hall. Eden ran into Groess, giving Hall a wide-open net to shoot at.

“They punched pretty hard, and we lost the momentum there in the second period,” Fryklund said. “Certainly, we liked the way our team came out in the third period, but if you give a team like Wisconsin (extra) opportunities, they’re going to take advantage of it. We made mistakes and they capitalized.”

Fryklund challenged the play for goaltender interference but the call on the ice stood. Officials deemed that BSU junior defenseman Heidi Strompf pushed Eden into Groess.

Shortly after the review, Kristen Simms scored on a 2-on-0 rush with Casey O’Brien to put UW (30-1-2, 24-1-2 WCHA) ahead 3-1 heading into the second intermission.

Laila Edwards extended the lead just over five minutes into the third period with her 29th goal this season. O’Brien made it 5-1 with her 22nd before Finley McCarthy scored with 31 seconds left in the third period.

“They’re a good hockey team, they move the puck so well,” Fryklund said. “They have so many dynamic players who make plays, and they’re fast. They’re really quick in transition, and one of the things we talked about was how we have to make sure we get pucks deep. … There’s a reason why they’re No. 1 in the country and have only lost one game this season.”

Groess finished with 32 saves in goal for the Beavers (6-27-1, 4-23-0 WCHA. Sophomore Eva Filippova, who was named WCHA Goaltender of the Week after her performance in Mendota Heights last weekend, did not dress. Filippova left Saturday’s contest against St. Thomas with an injury.

“She played really well and made some big saves,” Fryklund said of Groess. “Every time she made a save our bench was so happy for her. There’s a lot of energy we get from that, too. He helps in building that momentum when she’s making those big saves. She was really good in getting pucks out of her area and covering pucks when she could. I’m really proud of her.”

No. 1 Wisconsin 6, Bemidji State 1

UW 1 2 3 – 6

BSU 0 1 0 – 1

First period – UW GOAL: Harvey (Enright, Picard) 6:13.

Second period – BSU GOAL: G. Hendrickson (Johnson, Reeves) PPG, 8:50; UW GOAL: Hall (Eden, McCarthy) 15:38; UW GOAL: O’Brien (Simms, Edwards) 17:31.

Third period – UW GOAL: Edwards (O’Brien, Simms) 5:12; UW GOAL: O’Brien (Edwards, Harvey) 12;06; UW GOAL: McCarthy (Murphy, Wozniewicz) 19:28.

Saves – Groess (BSU) 32; McNaughton (UW) 11.

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Tracy Dill stepping down as WCHA commissioner

Mick Hatten — Sat, 29 Jun 2024 02:25:06 GMT

Tracy Dill has announced that he will step down as the commissioner of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association for personal reasons effective June 30.

“I want to express my appreciation to the WCHA membership for allowing me the opportunity to serve as the league commissioner for the past two years," Dill said in a news release. "The strength of the WCHA is the outstanding people including the WCHA league staff, student-athletes, coaches, athletic administrators and faculty representatives. I want to thank each of them and wish them nothing but the best for the WCHA."

Dill joined the WCHA office in July 2022 and served as the conference’s interim commissioner the past two seasons.

“We appreciate the steadfast dedication and effort Tracy has committed to our league in providing us with an outstanding level of leadership these past two years," Minnesota State University director of athletics Kevin Busiman, who also serves as the chair of the WCHA’s Advisory Council and Management Committee, said in the news release. "The WCHA has established an operational standard others aspire to attain and Tracy was able to raise the bar even further.

“He leaves our league even more well-positioned as the leader in collegiate women’s hockey. Tracy brought a wealth of experience and passion for the sport that made him extremely effective in this role and he has set the table for someone to step into that position and continue to move us forward. We are grateful for his service and we wish Tracy and his family much joy and happiness as he steps away and transitions further into this next phase of retirement.”

Under the leadership of Dill over the past two seasons, WCHA teams have won two NCAA championships. The WCHA has now won 21 NCAA Division I championships since league play began in 1999-00.

In the past two seasons, WCHA players earned All-America honors 10 times along with Ohio State’s Sophie Jaques receiving the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award in 2023 and Wisconsin’s Casey O’Brien and Kirsten Simms being selected as Kazmaier Award top three finalists in 2024.

Dill has helped grow the WCHA’s corporate partnership base during his tenure, which included sponsorship of the league’s annual Final Faceoff tournament with Kwik Trip along with partnerships with Cub Foods, Two Men and A Truck, Krampade, Howies Hockey Tape, Game One, Sterling Trophy & Awards, Print Labs and JLG Ice.

The visibility of the league continued to match the excellence of its teams as 15 WCHA games were televised live on FOX9+ in the Twin Cities in 2023-24, which also included coverage in Duluth; Madison, Wis., and Columbus, Ohio. In 2024, the St. Cloud State vs. Ohio State game was included as part of Bally Sports Hockey Day Minnesota coverage and two league games were featured on the Big Ten Network.

The WCHA’s online presence has also grown as B1G+ has offered live streaming of all home WCHA games over the past two seasons along with consistent growth of followers on the league social media platforms and usage of the league’s website, WCHA.com

Dill has been involved in college athletics as a player, coach, and administrator for more than 40 years. Prior to his time with the WCHA, Dill spent nine years at Bemidji State as that school's director of intercollegiate athletics. Prior to his tenure at Bemidji State, Dill was at St. Cloud State University, another WCHA member institution, for 28 years in various capacities, including coaching and administration.

The WCHA will begin the process of finding a replacement for Dill immediately.

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Gophers miss out on two goals after review, Badgers win shootout

Jess Myers — Sun, 04 Feb 2024 04:58:59 GMT

MADISON, Wis. — Sometimes a tie can feel like a win, even if it ends with the other team celebrating grabbing an additional point via a shootout.

The Minnesota Gophers head home from a two-gamer with their Border Battle rivals with an overtime win and a tie, following Saturday's 1-1 deadlock at the Kohl Center. And as much as he liked nearly everything his team did in the finale, Minnesota coach Bob Motzko walked away feeling that maybe the visitors deserved a better fate.

William Whitelaw and Quinn Finley scored in a shootout for the Wisconsin Badgers, giving them an extra Big Ten standings in a game that ended officially tied only after two potential Minnesota goals were overturned upon review.

"I loved how we played tonight, start to finish," Motzko said. "To a man on our roster, our compete level was through the roof, we battled, we withstood a couple little spurts early. If we had to start bringing up individual names we'd be here until I got through the roster."

Justen Close had 22 saves for the No. 9-ranked Gophers (16-7-5 overall, 9-5-4 Big Ten), who got a second period goal from Jaxon Nelson after Wisconsin had taken an early lead. Minnesota is now unbeaten in eight of its last nine games.

The Badgers (20-6-2, 11-4-1) got an early goal from Jack Horbach and 42 saves from Kyle McClellan but have now won just one of their last four.

"At times I thought we pushed a little bit and then I thought Minnesota kind of put their foot on the gas there at the end, but we didn't break," Badgers coach Mike Hastings said. "From my standpoint, it's important for us to learn from our wins and our losses and everything in between and we'll do that."

McClellan stopped shootout attempts by Bryce Brodzinski and Rhett Pitlick for the Gophers, who are now 0-11 in shootout attempts this season

Wisconsin opened the scoring when Owen Lindmark clanked a shot off the goalpost, and Horbach backhanded it past Close before the goalie could get into position.

The Gophers appeared to have tied the game with a little over six minutes left in the middle frame, when Ryan Chesley’s shot from the blue line slipped between McClellan’s knees. Wisconsin challenged the play and after a video review of nearly five minutes, it was determined that Oliver Moore interfered with the goalie, so the goal was taken off the board.

Less than a minute later, Nelson tied the game for real, swatting in a loose puck with both teams scrambling in front of McClellan. For Nelson, it snapped a three-game stretch in which he had been held without a point.

"We feel really good, we're healthy, we're hitting our stride at the right time of the year. This is a fun time of the year and I think we're headed in the right direction," Nelson said, admitting there was frustration after the first disallowed goal. "The puck didn't lie. It was supposed to be a goal, but we go out the next shift and get one, keeping the momentum going and not caring about anything else."

https://twitter.com/B1GHockey/status/1753970444124783013

An apparent Minnesota go-ahead goal by Mason Nevers with 2:40 left in the third was waved off due to another goalie interference call, and was upheld after review. Nelson had collided with McClellan, but the goalie got up, got back into position and made a save before Nevers' shot went in.

"They were both goals," Motzko said of the two calls that went Wisconsin's way. "C'mon, everybody in hockey knows they were both goals. It's too bad ... Anybody that knows hockey knows they were two goals."

Extra Pucks

Saturday’s announced attendance of 15,359 was the Badgers’ first sellout crowd since Feb. 9, 2019, which was the night they retired Mark Johnson’s number 10 jersey.

Wisconsin honored its alumni who have played in the NHL on Saturday, with fans encouraged to wear the pro hockey jersey of their favorite former Badger. Recently-retired forward Derek Stepan dropped the ceremonial first puck prior to the game. Originally from Hastings, Minnesota, Stepan now works with Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin.

The Gophers return home for a two-game series versus Penn State next weekend. Wisconsin has a home series versus Notre Dame next weekend.

Minnesota 1, Wisconsin 1, OT (Badgers win shootout)

Minnesota 0-1-0-0—1

Wisconsin 1-0-0-0—1

First period — 1. WI, Jack Horbach 5 (Owen Lindmark, Ben Dexheimer), 5:54. Penalties — Cal Thomas, MN (high sticking), 13:02; Charlie Stramel, WI (tripping), 19:31.

Second period — 2. MN, Jaxon Nelson 8 (Mason Nevers, Bryce Brodzinski), 14:33. Penalties — Tyson Dyck, WI (holding), 9:16.

Third period — No scoring. Penalties — Bench – served by Connor Kurth, MN (too many men), 12:20.

Overtime — No scoring. Penalties — None.

Shootout — Wisconsin: Quinn Finley (score), William Whitelaw (score). Minnesota: Bryce Brodzinski (save), Rhett Pitlick (save).

Shots on goal — MN 15-11-14-3—43; WI 9-8-6-0—23. Goalies — Justen Close, MN (23 shots-22 saves); Kyle McClellan, WI (43-42). Power plays — MN 0-of-2, WI 0-of-2. Referees — Tony Czech, Sean Fernandez. Linesmen — Samuel Shikowsky, Matthew Gerlach. Att. — 15,359.

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Wisconsin marches to No. 1 in USA Hockey / The Rink Live men's hockey poll

The Rink Live — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 20:28:44 GMT

Wisconsin jumped to No. 1 in this week's USA Hockey / The Rink Live men's college hockey poll, marking head coach Mike Hastings' return to the top spot when he led his former team, Minnesota State, atop the rankings on March 28, 2022.

The 9-1-0 Badgers collected 28 first-place votes and moved up two spots this week, switching places with Boston College. Unranked at the beginning of the season, Wisconsin ascended to the top spot in just its fourth week in the poll. Denver remained the No. 2 team in the poll. North Dakota remained fourth while Providence displaced Minnesota to round out the top five.

Wisconsin was idle last weekend as it prepares for a weekend series at Michigan State. Winners of their past six games, the Badgers' only blemish is a 2-0 loss on Oct. 14 at North Dakota.

Rank, ��, last week, record, weeks in poll

1. University of Wisconsin, 664 (28), 3, 9-1-0, 4

2. University of Denver, 607 (3), 2, 7-2-1, 7

3. Boston College, 584 (2), 1, 7-2-1, 7

4. University of North Dakota, 583, 4, 7-2-1, 7

5. Providence College, 529 (1), 6, 8-1-2, 7

6. University of Minnesota, 504, 5, 5-3-2, 7

7. Quinnipiac University, 461, 10, 7-3-1, 7

8. Boston University, 453, 8, 6-3-1, 7

9. University of Maine, 401, 13, 6-1-1, 3

10. Cornell University, 372, 7, 4-1-1, 7

11. Michigan State University, 348, 11, 8-3-1, 7

12. University of Michigan, 341, 9, 5-5-1, 7

13. University of New Hampshire, 217, 15, 4-2-1, 3

14. Arizona State University, 212, 17, 7-2-1, 5

15. University of Massachusetts, 172, 14, 6-3-1, 4

16. Western Michigan University, 171, 12, 4-3-1, 7

17. St. Cloud State University, 121, NR, 6-4-0, 4

18. University of Notre Dame, 113, NR, 6-3-2, 2

19. Penn State University, 88, 16, 5-3-3, 7

20. Harvard University, 49, 20, 1-1-3, 7

Others receiving votes: Colorado College, 46; University of Alaska, 40; Rochester Institute of Technology, 19; University of Minnesota Duluth, 15; University of Nebraska-Omaha, 15; Ohio State University, 7; Dartmouth College, 4; Michigan Tech University, 4.

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Wisconsin remains No. 1 in USA Hockey / The Rink Live women's poll

The Rink Live — Tue, 10 Oct 2023 18:33:41 GMT

Defending national champion and unanimous No. 1 Wisconsin remained on top of the Oct. 10 USA Hockey / The Rink Live women's college hockey poll.

The Badgers are off to a 4-0 start and garnered all 19 first-place votes.

The top four teams, including No. 2 Ohio State with a 1-1-0 record, remained in order from last week's poll. Colgate (3-1) is third with 2-0 Minnesota in fourth. Northeastern, which has rattled off four straight wins while allowing just one goal during that span, dropped from No. 5 to No. 7 in this week's rankings.

Undefeated St. Lawrence moved into the top 15 with a No. 13 showing this week.

The ECAC has six teams the top 15 while the WCHA has five.

Rank, ��, Last Week's Rank, 2023-24 Record, Weeks in Top 15

1. University of Wisconsin, 285 (19), 1, 4-0-0, 4

2. Ohio State University, 258, 2, 1-1-0, 4

3. Colgate University, 252, 3, 3-1-0, 4

4. University of Minnesota, 22,8, 4, 2-0-0, 4

5. Yale University, 186, 6, 0-0-0, 4

6. University of Minnesota Duluth, 183, 7, 2-0-0, 4

7. Northeastern University, 180, 5, 5-1-0, 5

8. Quinnipiac University, 156, 8, 4-0-0, 4

9. Clarkson University, 148, 9, 5-0-1, 4

10. Cornell University, 100, 10, 0-0-0, 4

11. Penn State University, 72, 11, 1-4-1, 4

12. University of Vermont, 68, 12, 0-1-1, 4

13. St. Lawrence University, 52, NR, 4-0-0, 1

14. University of Connecticut, 44, 14, 1-0-1, 2

15. St. Cloud State University, 41, 13, 3-1-0, 4

Others receiving votes: Minnesota State, 11; Mercyhurst, 6; Princeton, 6; Providence, 4.

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Roseau County rivals become NCAA national champion teammates

Brad Elliott Schlossman — Mon, 27 Mar 2023 14:41:48 GMT

GRAND FORKS — There was a time when Katie Kotlowski and Sophie Helgeson were on opposite sides of one of Minnesota's top high school hockey rivalries.

Kotlowski played for Warroad. Helgeson played for Roseau.

"We always knew about each other," Helgeson said. "We used to kind of be rivals."

Times have changed.

Kotlowski and Helgeson became college teammates at the University of Wisconsin last season. They joined on a defensive pairing together this season. And last weekend, they helped the Badgers win their seventh NCAA national championship.

The Roseau County duo helped shut down defending national champion Ohio State in the final. Wisconsin won 1-0 in Duluth's AmsOil Arena.

"It was amazing," Helgeson said. "I could probably give you so many words to describe it. It doesn't feel real. I think it's finally starting to kick in."

It marked the first national championship for Helgeson, a sophomore, and the second for Kotlowski, who was a freshman on the 2021 Badgers team.

"Honestly, it feels surreal," Kotlowski said. "Being able to win another national championship is just an awesome feeling, especially being underdogs in the tournament. It's huge for our program. It's been awesome."

Wisconsin entered the tournament unseeded.

The Badgers traveled to a regional in Hamilton, N.Y., and beat Long Island University in the opening round, then upset No. 3-seeded Colgate in the quarterfinals.

Wisconsin then upset No. 2 Minnesota in the NCAA Frozen Four semifinals and No. 1 Ohio State in the final.

"Knowing we were the underdogs and had nothing to lose was a big motivator for us," Kotlowski said. "We knew the level we were capable of playing at. Going into the national tournament, there were some nerves, but that's pretty natural. I'm glad we came out on top and left everything out there."

Kotlowski played in all 41 games this season, tallying a goal, seven points and a plus-18 rating. Helgeson played in 38 games, tallying an assist and a plus-10 rating.

They often played together on Wisconsin's third pairing.

"Playing with Helgy has been so awesome," Kotlowski said. "We knew each other in high school. We were rivals. Now, looking where we are as 'D' partners and best friends. . . I'm so thankful Madison brought us together. It's a dream come true I guess. It's pretty cool to see the Northern girls on top."

They've gone from rivals to friends to national champions.

"It's crazy to think about our paths together," Helgeson said. "It's just been a blast playing with each other."

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Badgers 'Jump Around' Buckeyes at Amsoil Arena to win seventh NCAA title

Matt Wellens — Mon, 20 Mar 2023 18:11:46 GMT

DULUTH — The Minnesota Golden Gophers came to Duluth this week with its super team of Olympians and a past Patty Kazmaier Award winner, hoping to capture its first NCAA title since 2016.

The Ohio State Buckeyes hit the shores of Lake Superior hoping to start a dynasty by winning a second-straight national championship.

Instead, it was the sixth-seeded Wisconsin Badgers bouncing on the ice and in the stands to House of Pain’s “Jump Around” on Sunday afternoon following a 1-0 victory over the Buckeyes in the NCAA championship game at Amsoil Arena before a pro-Badgers crowd of 3,940 that made you question what side of the border you were on.

It’s Wisconsin’s seventh NCAA championship — putting them one up on the Gophers all-time — and third national championship in four tournaments. Mark Johnson has been coach of the Badgers for all seven of them, and this one left him initially struggling to find the right words.

“I’m not sure what to say right now. I’m trying to process what transpired the last couple of hours,” said Johnson, whose Badgers were previously 0-2 in NCAA title games in Duluth, falling to Minnesota at Amsoil Arena in 2012 and to the Bulldogs in 2008 at the DECC.

“When they played Jump Around, man, it doesn’t get any better than that,” Johnson said later in a lengthy press conference. “That was awesome.”

The Badgers upset No. 3 Colgate, No. 2 Minnesota and the top overall seed, Ohio State, to reach the NCAA title game, getting an overtime goal from 2022 Olympic silver medalist and freshman defenseman Caroline Harvey in overtime on Friday to end the Gophers’ run via a 3-2 overtime win.

On Sunday, the heroes were a third-line freshman center and a goaltender sat and watched others patrol the Badgers crease for four years before taking over as the No. 1 goalie in January.

Freshman forward Kirsten Simms, a native of Minnesotan from Plymouth, scored the lone goal 13:28 into the first period while redshirt senior Cam Kronish made 31 saves for the shutout.

“This girl saved us in I don't know how many games this year,” Simms said. “We couldn't have done it without her on the back end. We're so happy that she's the one that was in net for us. She stole the game at times for us and saved the day, throughout the whole season. It's not just this game. It's from September on.”

Kronish was named the tournament’s most outstanding player after stopping 37 shots on Friday in the Frozen Four semifinals. Like her coach, Kronish struggled to put into words what happened on Sunday.

“This is going to take a few days to process. This doesn’t feel like real life,” Kronish said. “I cannot believe this is my life right now. I think about the past five years and the people I've played with — like Kristen Campbell, Kennedy Blair, all my golden partners, Bre Blesi — these people that helped make me the goalie that I am today, the person I am today. This is not real life. I’m just so thankful for everyone and everything that's been a part of my journey.”

The Buckeyes outshot the Badgers 16-5 in the opening 20 minutes, but still trailed by a goal at the first intermission. Junior goaltender Amanda Thiele made 21 saves for the Buckeyes, who won their first NCAA title in program history a year ago at Penn State with a win over Minnesota Duluth.

The Buckeyes and Badgers met four times during the regular season with Ohio State sweeping a January series in Columbus and taking four out of six points in a series in Madison to close the regular season.

In that last meeting on Feb. 19 in Madison, the Badgers led the Buckeyes 1-0 going into the final five minutes of regulation. OSU scored a trio of goals, including two in the final minute, to beat Wisconsin and clinch the WCHA regular season title on the Badgers’ home ice.

Johnson said he remembered watching the Buckeyes celebrate with the WCHA’s Julianne Bye Cup that Sunday afternoon. With four minutes to play Sunday in Duluth, he challenged his team not to let that happen again.

“I pulled out the chalkboard and said, ‘Hey, if they pull their goalie, here's what we need to do. Can we can we execute it?’” Johnson said. “We learned from the last time. The lesson, as hard as it was that Sunday afternoon in Madison, watching them take the trophy on our ice, it paid dividends this afternoon.

“I like the trophy we got,” said Johnson.

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Steve Rohlik talks about his journey to being successful head coach at Ohio State

Jess Myers — Mon, 27 Jul 2020 12:00:00 GMT

Steve Rohlik admits that growing up in the east side of St. Paul, Minn., his dream was not to play professionally or to play college hockey. Rohlik dreamed of playing for Hill-Murray High �� at the state high school tournament.

He achieved that, then went on to be the team's head coach after a college career at the University of Wisconsin. Rohlik's coaching career also includes being an assistant coach at Stillwater (Minn.) High ��, Wisconsin, three seasons at Nebraska Omaha, 10 seasons at Minnesota Duluth and three at Ohio State before taking over as the Buckeyes head coach in 2013.

In seven seasons, he has led the Buckeyes to three straight NCAA Division I tournaments, a Frozen Four appearance (2018), their first conference regular season title (2018-19) since 2009 and a 133-95-33 record.

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