Northeastern, Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin advance to NCAA Women’s Frozen Four
Four of the best teams in the country have taken one step closer to the NCAA Women’s D-I Hockey Championship.
On Saturday, the Northeastern Huskies, Ohio State Buckeyes, Penn State Nittany Lions and Wisconsin Badgers all punched their ticket to the 2026 Women’s Frozen Four.
With Northeastern beating the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the regional final on Saturday, it marks the first time since 2023 that not only will a Hockey East team be heading to the Frozen Four, but also a team outside of the top four seeds will be playing in the national semifinals.
The Huskies came into the big dance as the fifth seed, despite having lost to the Connecticut Huskies in the HEA final. They were certainly underdogs as they had to face an experienced Gophers team on the road. Yet, a career-making performance from goaltender Lisa Jönsson helped Northeastern to victory. The sophomore made 45 saves in a 4-2 win, a game in which Eloise Caron scored a goal and an assist, with Hockey East Rookie of the Year Stryker Zablocki finding the back of the net as well.
This is the first time the Huskies have made it to the Frozen Four since losing to Ohio State in the semifinals in 2023.
Speaking of the Buckeyes, the reigning runners-up entered the national tournament as the No. 1 seed after beating the Badgers in the WCHA Championship Game last weekend. OSU had a rather easy time defeating ECAC co-regular-season champion Yale on Saturday, winning 6-1 thanks to a four-point performance from Jocelyn Amos. Sloane Matthews also stood out on Saturday, scoring a pair of goals and three points against the Bulldogs.
Ohio State is heading to the Frozen Four for the sixth year in a row, as the team has made it to the championship game in each of the previous four seasons.
Wisconsin has a stacked roster that was expected to make it this far. With the likes of Caroline Harvey, Laila Edwards, Lacey Eden, Kirsten Simms and more, the Badgers have more than enough to become the first true back-to-back national champions since 2019. After losing to the Buckeyes in the conference tournament, Wisconsin responded back in a big way by beating Quinnipiac 6-0 in the regional final. Kelly Gorbatenko drove the attack on Saturday, notching a hat trick against the Bobcats.
Many were surprised that Penn State received the three seed in the tournament, and the way things were looking early on against the Connecticut Huskies on Saturday, the Nittany Lions didn’t seem like the most dominant force. However, they continued to pepper UConn’s Tia Chan, but a couple of goals late in the third, including a tally from Patty Kazmaier Award finalist Tessa Janecke, secured a 3-0 win for the Atlantic Hockey America champions.
Penn State becomes the first team from the conference to reach the Frozen Four since Mercyhurst in 2014. The last time a team from the AHA (formerly known as College Hockey America) made it to the national title game was when Meghan Agosta led the Lakers to a runner-up finish against Penn State in 2009.
The national semifinals are set for next Friday, March 20. Here are the matchups:
(5) Northeastern vs. (1) Ohio State
(3) Penn State vs. (2) Wisconsin
Official start times are TBD. The championship game is scheduled for Sunday, March 22, with all three games taking place at the Pegula Ice Arena, home of the Nittany Lions.