NCAA DI Tournament 2025: National Championship Preview

Well, everyone, we have made it to the national championship game. Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but it will be Ohio State and Wisconsin facing off for the title for the third consecutive year, this time at the University of Minnesota's Ridder Arena.

How they got here:

The top two nationally ranked teams and conference foes are set to once again fight for the title. Wisconsin beat Minnesota 6-2 on Friday night behind a Laila Edwards hat trick. It was the sixth time this season the two teams met, and the second time in three weeks. The Badgers’ scored three goals in the second period to help them take the lead against the Gophers, and from there they never looked back. Edwards overtook the lead in goals scored with her hat trick, pushing her goals total to 34. The Women’s Hockey Commissioners Association Goalie of the Year, Ava McNaughton, allowed two goals and made 21 saves. 

Ohio State fought off Cornell with a 4-2 win. The Buckeyes held a 2-0 lead entering the second period before the Big Red scored two goals in a little over a minute to tie it. Joy Dunne then took matters into her own hands with two third period goals to seal the deal for the Buckeyes. 

Matchup:

Besides meeting in the finals the last two years, these two teams played each other four times in the regular season with the teams splitting. Wisconsin won 4-2 in the teams’ first meeting since the title game. Ohio State then won the second game 3-2, handing the Badgers their only loss of the entire season.

The teams met again in January, where Wisconsin shut out the Buckeyes behind a 6-0 win before playing outdoors to a 3-3 tie where OSU took the shootout win. When the teams met in the final the last two years, each walked away with a 1-0 win.

Notables:

Wisconsin enters the title game with 37 total wins while Ohio State has 29. The teams have traded national championships the past few years with the Badgers winning in 2023 and the Buckeyes winning last year. 

Stats:

Individually, Ohio State’s Joy Dunne recorded five points against the Badgers this season while Jocelyn Amos had three. Makenna Webster and Maddi Wheeler, have each scored two goals against Wisconsin. 

On the Badgers side, Kirsten Simms and Laila Edwards have recorded four points against OSU while Joy Dunne and Casey O’Brien each have five. But Lacey Eden seems to be the one to watch out for as she’s scored four goals while adding two assists in four games against the Buckeyes in the regular season. 

Goaltending wise, Wisconsin’s McNaughton shutout the Buckeyes in January. She has 12 shutouts so far including two in the postseason. 

The Badgers also have the best power play percentage nationally and the highest penalty kill percentage too. But both teams have scored six shorthanded goals so maybe a clean 5-on-5 game is what will benefit both teams the most.

Goalie Matchup:

OSU’s Amanda Thiele will most likely get the start in net while McNaughton will answer the call for Wisconsin. Thiele allowed two goals against Cornell on Friday and made 27 saves. She has been great in net in the NCAA playoffs, allowing one goal against St. Lawrence and the two against Cornell. As mentioned, McNaughton has 12 shutouts in conference and non-conference play combined. She currently has a .946 save percentage and a 1.20 goals against average. She recorded two wins, one loss, and a tie against OSU in the regular season.

Player to watch:

Joy Dunne is my choice for Ohio State. Aside from scoring two goals against the Cornell Big Red, Dunne also scored the game winning goal in last year’s championship game. She has a team high 28 goals.

For Wisconsin, you can probably close your eyes and pick a player and they will most likely score a goal, but I’m going with recently announced Patty Kazmaier award winner, Casey O’Brien. She’s had a fantastic season so far and I am expecting her to follow up her goal and two assist effort on Sunday with at least one more goal.

Prediction:

Everyone has fun!

See you Sunday!