2024 Women’s Frozen Four: What to know and how to watch the No. 1 Buckeyes

Reid Murray
Thu, 21 Mar 2024 01:54:43 +0000
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A stack of pucks prepared for warmups at Ohio State’s NCAA quarterfinal game against Minnesota Duluth March 16. The Buckeyes won 9-0 to advance to their fourth straight Frozen Four. Credit: Courtesy of Ohio State Athletics

The Ohio State women’s ice hockey team is headed to the NCAA Frozen Four for the fourth straight season.

The No. 1 Buckeyes (33-4-0, 26-2-0 WCHA) have a chance to win their second national title in three years and avenge last season’s national championship loss. But first, they’ll have to beat the No. 4 Clarkson Golden Knights (33-4-2, 18-3-1 ECAC) in the national semifinal on Friday at 4 p.m., streaming live on ESPN+.

If Ohio State wins, it will play the winner of No. 2 Wisconsin and No. 3 Colgate in the championship on Sunday. All Frozen Four games will be held at the Whittemore Center Arena in Durham, New Hampshire.

The last time the Buckeyes made the Frozen Four — in 2023 — they defeated No. 5 Northeastern 3-0 in the semifinal before losing 1-0 to Wisconsin in the championship game in Duluth, Minnesota.

This season, Ohio State advanced to the Frozen Four by making history in the NCAA quarterfinal. The Buckeyes broke the NCAA record for goals in a tournament game with a 9-0 win against No. 8 Minnesota Duluth on Saturday.

For Clarkson, it took four overtimes to make the Frozen Four with a quarterfinal win against Minnesota. Graduate forward Dominique Petrie scored the game-winning goal to secure a 3-2 victory.

Ohio State and Clarkson enter the Frozen Four tied for the fewest losses in the country at four, but both teams lost in their respective conference championships on March 9.

Ohio State has a 4-3 record against teams in this season’s Frozen Four. The Buckeyes lost to Colgate in the first game of the season Sept. 29, 2023, before beating the Raiders the following day. They also won their first three games against Wisconsin before losing to the Badgers in the final game of the regular season Feb. 24, 4-2, and in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association tournament final, 6-3.

Friday’s NCAA semifinal will be Ohio State’s first matchup against Clarkson this season.

The Golden Knights’ starting goalie, senior Michelle Pasiechnyk, has a 1.29 goals-against average and .945 save percentage this season. Pasiechnyk started in the quarterfinal against Minnesota and made 61 saves through seven periods.

Junior defenseman Haley Winn and senior defenseman Nicole Gosling lead Clarkson in scoring with 39 points each.

Ohio State graduate forward Hannah Bilka leads the Buckeyes in points with 47. Freshman forward Joy Dunne is tied with Bilka for the team lead in goals with 22.

The Buckeyes’ expected starting goaltender, senior Raygan Kirk, leads the country in shutouts with nine. Kirk has a goals-against average of 1.11 and a .941 save percentage. Kirk made 16 saves in the 9-0 quarterfinal win against Minnesota Duluth.