Sunday, March 22, 2026

Another Banner Night for Badgers

Senior Enright Delivers Championship-Clinching Goal in Third

Wisconsin celebrates back-to-back Frozen Four titles (Photo: NCAA Ice Hockey on X).

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Claire Enright broke a 2-2 tie with 6:18 left in the third period to give Wisconsin a 3-2 win over Ohio State in the NCAA Frozen Four championship game, the second straight national title for the Badgers and their fifth in the last seven seasons.

Enright gathered the puck deep in the right corner of the offensive zone, drove to the front of the net and stuffed the puck past OSU netminder Hailey MacLeod (Sr., Abbotsford, British Columbia), clinching the ninth NCAA championship in Wisconsin women’s hockey history.

No other program boasts more NCAA women’s hockey championships.

For the Badgers, Enright’s tie-breaking tally was the counterpunch to an OSU rally that saw the Buckeyes erase a 2-0 deficit with a pair of early-third period goals. For Enright, a senior from Farmington, Minn., it was her ninth goal of the season and easily the biggest of her 20 career goals.

“I don’t score many goals,” Enright told ESPN in a post-game interview, “but it feels amazing.”

It marked the third national title for Enright and her UW classmates, each of them coming against WCHA rival OSU.

“It feels just as sweet as the first one,” said Enright. “I can’t be any more proud of my teammates. I’m just amazed by this group, and I love these girls.”

Sunday’s matchup was the fourth straight year the Badgers and Buckeyes met in the Frozen Four title game.

The Badgers opened the scoring early, breaking the ice just 1:18 into the game on Kelly Gorbatenko’s (Jr., Barrington, Ill.) 28th goal of the season. Laney Potter (Jr., Cranberry Township, Pa.) followed just under six minutes later with her 10th of the year, and UW was in control heading into the first intermission.

Neither team was able to find the net on 22 combined shots on goal during the second period.

The Buckeyes finally solved UW netminder Ava McNaughton (Jr., Seven Fields, Pa.) just over four minutes into the final frame, with Kassidy Carmichael (Fr., Westford, Mass.) striking for her 10th of the year. Three minutes later, Jocelyn Amos (Jr., Ailsa Craig, Ontario) pulled OSU even with her 22nd.

The Buckeyes outshot the Badgers 36-34 and went scoreless on their lone power-play chance. UW went 0-6 with the player advantage.

MacNaughton, named NCAA Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player, stopped 34 shots. MacLeod countered with 31.

Frozen Four All-Tournament Team
G: Ava McNaughton, Wisconsin (Most Outstanding Player)
D: Emma Peschel, Ohio State
D: Caroline Harvey, Wisconsin
F: Tessa Janecke, Penn State
F: Kirsten Simms, Wisconsin
F: Laila Edwards, Wisconsin

Also of Note:

  • Wisconsin’s nine NCAA Division I women’s hockey championships are the most in the nation, followed by Minnesota (six), Minnesota Duluth (five), Clarkson (three) and Ohio State (two).
  • Wisconsin graduate F Lacey Eden became the first Division I women’s hockey player to win four national titles.
  • Eden won the 2025-26 NCAA scoring title with 77 points in 41 games.

Must Read:

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Did you know? 97% of NCAA Division I women’s hockey players earn their degree.