No. 1 Ohio State, Wisconsin to face off in NCAA Women’s Frozen Four championship at AMSOIL Arena
The 2023 Frozen Four at AMSOIL Arena began on Friday.
On Friday the NCAA Women’s Frozen Four festivities began in Duluth. This weekend AMSOIL Arena is playing host to its second Frozen Four, last hosting in 2012, and Duluth’s fourth overall tournament.
The action began Friday afternoon as defending national champions No. 1 Ohio State University (OSU) shut out No. 5 Northeastern University 3-0 to punch their ticket back to the title game. Buckeyes’ head coach Nadine Muzerall was an assistant coach for the University of Minnesota Gophers in 2012 when they won the national championship at AMSOIL Arena.
OSU’s Sloane Matthews scored first in the first period, with Makenna Webster and Hadley Hartmetz each scoring in the second for the 3-0 win.
The second semifinal featured No. 2 Minnesota and the University of Wisconsin, both six time national champions. Gophers’ head coach Brad Frost and Badgers’ head coach Matt Johnson have faced-off against each other twice in the NCAA championship game, once at the AMSOIL event 11 years ago.
Minnesota’s Taylor Heise scored early in the first period, then in the third Wisconsin’s Laila Edwards tied it up and seconds later Sophie Shirley gave the Badgers the 2-1 lead. Madeline Wethington tied it for the Gophers with 1:11 left in regulation. Caroline Harvey nets the game-winner in overtime lifting Wisconsin to a 3-2 win.
This marked a homecoming for Minnesota defender, former Bulldog, Lizi Norton who skated in 126 games tallying 32 points for UMD over four years.
Saturday teams will get an opportunity to practice before battling for the ultimate crown.
Ohio State (33-5-2) and Wisconsin will face off Sunday at 3 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPNU. For the bracket, Click Here.