MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - The No. 2 seed Ohio State University used goals from seniors Liz Schepers and Gabby Rosenthal and a 33-save effort from sophomore goaltender Amanda Thiele to secure its place in the WCHA Final Faceoff championship game. The Buckeyes earned a 2-1 semifinal win over the No. 3 seed and WCHA Final Faceoff defending champion University of Wisconsin at Ridder Arena on Saturday evening.
"We had a good start. The first five minutes we were all over them, and then a couple penalties got us back on our heels although I thought our penalty kill was brilliant. We didn't give up too much. We just struggled after that to find our momentum," Ohio State head coach Nadine Muzerall said. "We found a way to get those two goals in and then controlled the lead against a talented team that can turn around and score on a whim. I've got to hand it to our girls. They stuck with it and were a united front and did things brilliantly defensively. Clearly, clearly, Thiele was the difference-maker. We all know that."
Ohio State (28-6-0) advances to its third-straight WCHA title game where the Buckeyes will face the WCHA regular-season champion University of Minnesota (29-7-1), winners of Saturday's first semifinal game with a 5-1 win over No. 4 seed Minnesota Duluth (24-11-1). Meanwhile, with its semifinal loss, Wisconsin (25-7-4) sees a streak of eight-straight WCHA title game appearances come to an end.
"I thought we had a good game tonight. I wasn't disappointed at all in our effort. The way we played-we played well enough to win, but unfortunately we didn't, so it's a learning opportunity for everybody," Wisconsin head coach Mark Johnson said. "I like the way we played. I liked our energy. I like the way we played last weekend, so we're trending in a good direction. We're getting healthier. I'm excited to see who we play next, and we'll do our grunt work to get ready for that game."
After a scoreless first period during which Wisconsin held a 16-10 advantage in shots on goal, the Badgers struck first in the middle frame. Junior defense Chayla Edwards fed the puck to senior forward Sophie Shirley, who beat Thiele one-on-one just 1:07 into the middle frame.
The Buckeyes, however, answered with a pair of second-period goals to take a 2-1 lead into the second intermission. Schepers and senior Paetyn Levis broke through on a two-on-one, and Schepers put the puck past Wisconsin goaltender Kennedy Blair to tie the game at one at the 5:16 mark of the middle frame.
Rosenthal then gave the Buckeyes the lead when she buried a pass from Sophie Jacques, the WCHA Defender of the Year and a Patty Kazmaier Top-10 Finalist, less than three minutes later at 8:11 of the second period.
Ohio State appeared to extend its lead to two at 3-1 just 45 seconds later, but the goal was called off after a review due to an offside call. OSU was then forced to kill off a penalty as Rosenthal was called for elbowing nine seconds later.
"Obviously a huge momentum shift either way. I think that was a moment in the game where we could have gotten down on ourselves or lost our step a little bit or we could respond and keep playing the way we were playing," Schepers said. "I think the leadership and the experience on our bench is super helpful in moments like that to lean on each other and calm each other down."
The third period saw quality scoring chances on both ends of the ice, but Jacques' second-period tally for the Buckeyes proved to be the game-winner. Wisconsin pulled Blair for the extra attacker in the game's final 47 seconds but was unable to find the equalizer.
For the game, Wisconsin had the advantage in shots on goal, outshooting the Buckeyes, 34-18. Ohio State was perfect on the penalty kill at three-for-three while the Badgers did not take a penalty in the game.
Top seed Minnesota and No. 2 seed Ohio State will face off in Sunday's WCHA championship game. Puck drop is scheduled for 1:01 p.m. CT at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis.
Ohio State looks for its second WCHA Final Faceoff crown after the Buckeyes won the program's first WCHA postseason title in 2019-20. Meanwhile, Minnesota last won the league's playoff championship in 2017-18 and seeks its eighth WCHA postseason crown overall.
The winner of the 2022 WCHA Final Faceoff will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Women's Ice Hockey Championship.
For more information on the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, follow the league on Twitter and Instagram @WCHA_WHockey, and online at wcha.com.