Following its sweep of then-No. 1 Wisconsin, a trio of Ohio State players earn WCHA Player of the Week honors, while they're joined by a standout performance between the pipes by Minnesota Duluth's Marilou Grenier. WCHA Player of the Week honors are presented each week by OS Hockey. 

WCHA Forward of the Week
Sanni Vanhanen, So., Ohio State (Tampere, Finland)
Tying for a team-high of two goals in the sweep of then-No. 1 Wisconsin was sophomore Sanni Vanhanen. She first assisted on the game-winning goal in game one's 2-1 victory, before scoring twice in the 5-3 win on Saturday for a three-point weekend. Her two-goal performance in game two tied her career-high for goals in a game. Vanhanen recorded a goal and an assist on the power play to help the Buckeyes finish 4-for-7 with the skater advantage against the Badgers. Ultimately, Vanhanen's offense helped the Buckeyes sweep Wisconsin for the first time since the 2023-24 season, while the WCHA Forward of the Week award is the first league honor of Vanhanen's career. 

Other Nominees: Chloe Boreen (St. Thomas), Sarah Paul (Minnesota), Maddie Kaiser (Bemidji State), and Cassie Hall (Wisconsin). 

WCHA Defender of the Week
Mira Jungåker, Jr., Ohio State (Jönköping, Sweden)
From the blue line, Mira Jungåker led the Buckeyes with five points and four assists to sweep No. 1 Wisconsin. In game one on Friday night, she scored the game-tying goal and assisted the game-winner in the Buckeyes' 2-1 victory. Both plays came on the power play. In game two, she had a three-point performance by assisting on the game-tying goal and both of the Buckeyes' third period goals, including the game-winner, to help the team to a 5-3 win and weekend sweep. In addition to her success with the puck, Jungåker and the Buckeye defense held the Badgers to 23.00 shots per game on the weekend, when they were previously averaging 40.00 shots per game. The WCHA Defender of the Week award is the second in a row for Jungåker, after picking up her first of the season last Monday, Oct. 5. 

Other Nominees: JuliAnna Gazdik (St. Thomas), Molly Jordan (Minnesota), and Kasey Senden (Bemidji State). 

WCHA Goaltender of the Week
Marilou Grenier, Fr., Minnesota Duluth (Quebec City, Quebec)
In a weekend split against RV St. Thomas, rookie netminder Marilou Grenier led the league in save percentage (.967), goals against average (1.01), and tied for second in the league in total saves (58). Recording her first career win behind a 3-0 shutout on Saturday, Grenier ultimately stopped 58 of 60 shots faced on the weekend. Friday's 2-1 loss included a career-high of 34 saves for Grenier, before posting a 24-save shutout on Saturday. The WCHA Goaltender of the Week honor is the first league honor of Grenier's career. 

Other Nominees: Dani Strom (St. Thomas), Hannah Clark (Minnesota), Sophia Villanueva (Bemidji State), and Rowan Houweling (Ohio State).   

WCHA Rookie of the Week
Rowan Houweling, Goaltender, Ohio State (Edmonton, Alberta)
In her first games on home ice and first games against Wisconsin, rookie goaltender Rowan Houweling went 2-0-0 on the weekend. She had two 20-plus save games, with a career-best of 20 saves on Friday, followed by setting another career-high of 22 saves on Saturday. Houweling held the Badgers to just four total goals on the weekend, who previously averaged 5.75 goals per game entering the weekend. Houweling tallied 42 saves on 46 shots faced for a .913 save percentage to claim her second WCHA weekly award in three weeks, after being named Rookie of the Week in the season's first awards on Monday, Sept. 28. 

Other Nominees: Adrianna Milani (Minnesota).   

For more information on the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, follow the league online at WCHA.com and follow @WCHA_WHockey on X, Instagram, and Facebook.

2026-27 WCHA Players of the Week:
Sept. 28 // Forward: Alice Sauriol, St. Cloud State; Defender: Lucie Tenenbaum, Minnesota State; Goaltender: Ève Gascon, Minnesota Duluth; Rookie: Rowan Houweling, Ohio State. 
Oct. 5 // Forward: Maria Mikaelyan, St. Cloud State; Defender: Mira Jungåker, Ohio State; Goaltender: Alexis Ehrman, St. Cloud State; Rookie: Nela Lopušanová, Wisconsin. 
Oct. 12 // Forward: Sanni Vanhanen, Ohio State; Defender: Mira Jungåker, Ohio State; Goaltender: Marilou Grenier, Minnesota Duluth; Rookie: Rowan Houweling, Ohio State.