Scarlet Sunrise: Ohio State women's hockey wins second national title in three years
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Ohio State women’s hockey beats Wisconsin in National Championship
Ohio State women’s hockey avenged its 1-0 loss to Wisconsin in last year’s national title game with a 1-0 victory over the Badgers in this year’s national title game Sunday afternoon at the Whittemore Center in Durham, New Hampshire.
It was the sixth meeting of the season between the two powerhouse programs. The Buckeyes had won the first three games against Wisconsin in 2023-24 before the Badgers struck back with two wins down the stretch. When it mattered most, though, Ohio State prevailed.
Joy Dunne scored the game-winner with 7:12 left in the third period. She was assisted by Hannah Bilka and Cayla Barnes, both grad transfers from Boston College.
While Dunne, a freshman forward, was one hero Sunday. Raygan Kirk, a senior goalie, was another. Playing in her final collegiate game, Kirk piled up 26 saves and recorded the shutout on the biggest stage. She was voted the Most Outstanding Player in the tournament.
Led by head coach Nadine Muzeral, Ohio State finished the year with a program-record 35 wins and an overall record of 35-4-0. The Buckeyes were the No. 1 team in the country most of the year and ended the season on top, just like they did in 2021-22 when they outlasted Minnesota Duluth in the national title game, 3-2.
Ohio State upset at home by Duke, NCAA Tournament run cut short
While Ohio State women’s hockey completed its pursuit of a national title Sunday, Ohio State women’s basketball saw its run come to an end much sooner than it expected.
7-seed Duke bounced 2-seed Ohio State from the NCAA Tournament in the Round of 32. Despite leading by as many as 16 points in the first half, the Buckeyes fell to the Blue Devils, who made 21 of their final 31 field goal attempts after going 2-of-14 to start the game.
Ohio State, meanwhile, shot just 29.6% from the field in the second half, during which it registered only eight total field goals. Duke’s Reigan Richardson, who erupted for a game-high 28 points, had six field goals of her own in the second half.
The Blue Devils dominated the Buckeyes on the glass with a 38-20 rebounding advantage and limited Ohio State to two field goals in the final six minutes of play.
For the full game story, go here.
RELATED
Seth McLaughlin putting snap concerns to rest, ‘doing great so far’ in spring practice
Coming off a 2023 season at Alabama that was marred by botched snaps, Seth McLaughlin appears to be putting those issues behind him at Ohio State.
“Seth’s snaps have been great,” head coach Ryan Day said last week. “I know that was a little bit of a concern. I think it had a lot to do with the cadence or whatever, but so far, he’s been doing great.”
McLaughlin, a grad transfer with 25 starts under his belt, is competing with Carson Hinzman for the starting center spot this offseason. Hinzman started all 12 regular season games as a redshirt freshman last season.
Go here for the latest on McLaughlin.
Counting Down
Buckeyes vs. Akron: 159 days
Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 250 days
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