Last season, the Ohio State Buckeyes were only 18 seconds away from a WCHA championship. Then Kirsten Simms played hero in an epic comeback that saw the Wisconsin Badgers [https://thehockeynews.com/womens/college/kirsten-simms-plays-hero-in-epic-comeback-wisconsin-wins-national-title] tie the game on a penalty shot and win in overtime. This year, the Buckeyes exacted their revenge pulling off a come from behind win of their own to capture the WCHA title and punch their ticket to the NCAA national championships through an automatic bid with their 2-1 victory. It was Ohio State's first WCHA title since 2022. After playing a scoreless first and second period that saw Ohio State outshooting Wisconsin 31-18, it was the NCAA's leading scorer Lacey Eden who broke the deadlock giving Wisconsin a 1-0 lead at 9:58 of the third period. Then, with only 5:30 remaining in the game, Hilda Svensson evened the score giving the Buckeyes their momentum back. Two minutes later with 3:27 remaining, Jordan Baxter played hero for Ohio State breaking the tie and giving the Buckeyes all they'd need. It was a flukey play from the goal line that sealed the game, seemingly a return of fates favor from last year. Wisconsin pushed late but Ohio State netminder Hailey MacLeod turned aside 28 of the 29 shots she faced in the game for the win, while Ava McNaughton stopped 38 of 40 for Wisconsin. Ohio State outplayed Wisconsin in every metric including outshooting them 40-29, in the face-off circle 40-31, and where it counted most, on the scoresheet. Both teams will head to the NCAA national championships, but it's now Wisconsin that will need to wait to be selected, while Ohio State as the 2026 WCHA champions have won their way in. Hilda Svensson highlights
