Kenzie Hauswirth broke a tie with 6:20 left and top-seeded Ohio State beat Minnesota Duluth 3-2 on Sunday for the Buckeyes’ first women’s Frozen Four championship in State College, Pennslyvania.
Hauswirth blasted a shot from the left side that deflected off a defender’s skate and slipped inside the far post.
Paetyn Levis and Clair Degeorge also scored for Ohio State (32-6-0) and Amanda Thiele made 17 saves.
“I just believed in these girls so much, as they did in each other,” Ohio State and three-time WCHA coach of the year Nadine Muzerall said to the ESPNU announcers after the game. “This was one of the best hockey games they played all year. They were so deserving of this and they never quit. They played flawlessly tonight and I am so proud of them.
CHAMPIONS!@OhioStateWHKY x #WFrozenFour pic.twitter.com/65q0L1jnxJ
— NCAA Ice Hockey (@NCAAIceHockey) March 20, 2022
The Buckeyes entered the NCAA tournament as the top seed and number one team in the country for the first time in program history. They defeated previously top-ranked Minnesota two weeks ago to win the WCHA conference tournament.
The Buckeyes won their last 10 games and 11 of 12, setting a program record for victories in a season.
Naomi Rogge and Elizabeth Giguere scored for Minnesota Duluth (27-12-1).