NCAA DI Tournament 2025: Frozen Four Preview

The top four teams of the regular season have ended up the last four standing in this year’s Frozen Four, set for this weekend at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis, Minn. Minnesota, Wisconsin, Cornell, and defending champs Ohio State will battle it out for the utmost honors of the 2024-25 season, and it’s bound to be a wild finish if the last couple of seasons are anything to go by. 

No. 4 Minnesota still holding strong as a perennial contender

How They Got Here: Make no mistake – although it’s been a couple of years since Minnesota has gotten to the Frozen Four, they haven’t lost much of their shine. They (along with Wisconsin, who we’ll get to in a moment) are making a record 18th appearance in the Frozen Four, with a solid 29-11-1 overall record and as good a chance as any to shock one of their rivals for a spot in the championship. a

The Gophers made it to the WCHA Final Faceoff with a commanding 6-2 win over Ohio State of all teams, and then they held Wisco against the ropes until the last 30 seconds of the third period, where the Badgers found a way to get past Hannah Clark for the 4-3 championship victory. From there, it was just a waiting game to see where they would be seeded – and seeded they are up against those same Badgers in a 1-versus-4 showdown. It’s not an easy matchup, with the Badgers seeing success against them all season, but funnier things have happened on the way to the championship. 

Who to Watch: Obviously Abbey Murphy has been the big story for this club, with an incredible 65-point season under her belt. With her help, the Gophers have managed to lock down third overall in scoring offense and in power-play percentage in the nation, making it a tough task for any opponents who have to face her on the skater disadvantage. It won’t be just her, though – Natalie Mlynkova, Sydney Morrow, and Peyton Hemp can also burn opposing teams, so long story short, all PK units are on notice as of right now.

Key to the Win: Home ice advantage will be huge for Minnesota, as they’re playing in their own house. I fully expect that to factor in, whether in dealing with the nuances of the building or just feeding off of the Gophers fans in the crowd. That said, two other teams have some decent experience playing in that barn as well, so… we shall see just how important it’ll be for Minny. 

No. 3 Cornell looking to make it a title quintet for 2024-25

How They Got Here: It’s been a banner year for the Big Red, who have captured four titles (ECAC regular season, ECAC champions, Ivy League champions, and NCAA Regional champions) on their way here. Now, they’re going to try for a fifth, in their first appearance in the Frozen Four since the 2018-19 season – and it feels like a bit of a charmed moment for them after missing the chance to nab it during the COVID-19 pandemic.

With perennial contenders Colgate and Clarkson facing inconsistency when it mattered most, Cornell has been able to stay on a winning path after starting the season on a dismal 1-3-1 run. Although they do have some solid scoring, with eight 20-plus point scorers, it’s their back end and especially their netminder who have managed to set the Big Red apart from the rest of the field in the ECAC. The Big Red have only allowed 1.4 goals per game from opponents for 2024-25, second only to Wisconsin (1.1 goals against per game), and their defensive prowess was clear in the game that punched their ticket to the semis against UMD (another strong defensively-minded squad). 

Who to Watch: Sophomore Annalies Bergmann has been nothing short of spectacular between the pipes for the Big Red, posting a .945 save percentage and 10 shutouts on the year (leading the NCAA in that category). She’ll be up against some tough competition in Ohio State in the semis, and more on them in just a moment, but I think she’ll be up to the task. 

Key to the Win: Cornell will certainly have to attack early and often, and get in front of the net as much as possible. It’s a lot of scoring by committee with the Big Red, especially in the wake of Izzy Daniel’s graduation, so the more skaters who can chip in, the better it’ll be – and if they can manage to keep Bergmann from going completely under siege, so much the better. 

No. 2 Ohio State building on history

How They Got Here: It's mostly been a two-horse race between the Buckeyes and Badgers for national champion, with them trading the trophy back and forth over the last four seasons. Each has played spoiler to the other, but it remains to be seen if the other two schools in the mix can be that speed bump for either of them. 

The Buckeyes have found a winning formula with head coach Nadine Muzerall at the helm, appearing in their fifth consecutive Frozen Four and with the chance to win back-to-back trophies for the first time in program history. 

Who to Watch: Muzerall has built an incredible team, with a mix of youth and veterans alike – but it’s really been the younger players, Joy Dunne and Jocelyn Amos, who have led the charge. Dunne, last year’s championship goal scorer, has 58 points on the year and was the youngest Patty Kaz nominee in the top 10, while Amos is pacing the team in goals scored with 27 so far. Both have come up big for their team as of late as well, so I don’t doubt they’ll factor heavily into the scoring this coming weekend.

Key to the Win: OSU will definitely have to rein in the penalties in order to stay on track – with the highest penalties-per-game of the WCHA teams remaining in the hunt and a wealth of power-play merchants on each opposing team, the last thing the Buckeyes want to do is tire out their PK units or their goaltender. 

No. 1 Wisconsin looking for revenge

How they got here: Oh, Wisconsin. What a love-hate relationship I have with thee. By now a legendary contender and record seven-time NCAA champion, the Badgers lost their chance at a repeat at the hands of Dunne and the OSU Buckeyes last season, and they seem to have taken that personally throughout this season for real. With an unbelievable .949 overall win percentage (36-1-2), an undefeated record at home, and four (4!!!) top-10 Patty Kaz nominees on their roster,  the Badgers are the obvious ones to beat – the Goliath to everyone else’s David, as it were. 

Now, it’s no secret what the program at Wisconsin has achieved. They, and the WCHA as a whole, have set the standard for women’s collegiate hockey. Potent offense has been a trademark, with a ridiculous +168 goal differential and nearly 40 shots per game in 39 games played, and they can score from the back end as easily as they can from their front lines. With at least five goals per game on average, their puck possession and maintenance make it very difficult for opposing teams to counter-attack (though some can, including their semis opponent, the Gophers).

Who to Watch: Not only does this team boast five 50-plus point scorers, but fifth-year Casey O’Brien has set herself apart from the rest with an incredible 85-point season, including 60 assists. (USA Hockey has so much explaining to do after leaving her off the Worlds roster, I’m telling you.) Teammates Laila Edwards and Caroline Harvey join her in the top three for the Patty Kaz, making this the second time ever (and first since 2013) that all three finalists come from one school.

Key to a Win: If there’s one thing that could bite Wisconsin in the rear this tournament, it’s their ability to let teams back into the game by being undisciplined – it was how Clarkson got to a 1-0 lead in the regionals, and it factored heavily into their one loss all year (ironically, against Ohio State). That said, they stand a great chance of making it back to the top given their insane play over the regular season. They just need to stay focused and do as much to let Ava McNaughton see the puck as possible. The Badgers have gotten clutch goaltending in the past, and I don’t doubt McNaughton is up to the task for them, but this won’t be a walk in the park for the sophomore by any means. 

The Schedule

Frozen Four Semis: March 21, 2025 

• No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Cornell, 5 p.m. EDT
• No 1 Wisconsin vs. No. 4 Minnesota, 8:30 p.m. EDT

Frozen Four Championship: March 23, 2025, 4 p.m. EDT

• Winner of OSU/Cornell vs. Winner of Wisconsin/Minnesota