Badger women’s coach Mark Johnson
The Wisconsin women’s hockey team fell short in its attempt to go wire-to-wire as the nation’s top-ranked women’s hockey team. The Badgers lost to Clarkson 3-0 on Sunday in the NCAA Division 1 championship game in St. Charles, Missouri.
It was the fourth straight trip to the Frozen Four for the Badgers. They failed to make it out of the semifinals the last three years, but blanked Boston College 1-0 on Friday night to advance to the title game.
Wisconsin, with the nation’s leading offense heading into the Frozen Four (4.03 goals per game), managed just one goal on 77 shots in two games.
Clarkson, ranked number-two in the country, scored just 27 seconds into the second period on a power play goal from Savannah Harmon. That would be the only goal the Golden Knights would need.
Clarkson’s Cayley Mercer scored with 3:04 left to make it 2-0, then added an empty-netter with under a minute to go to put the game away.
The Badgers were shooting for a fifth national title and first since 2011, but they’ll have to wait until next year for another shot.
Clarkson captured its second national championship after winning last in 2014. They’re the only team outside of the WCHA to have won a national title.
AUDIO: Mark Johnson on the championship game loss :20
AUDIO: Annie Pankowski says losing stinks :16
AUDIO: Captain Sidney McKibbon – it’s tough to lose :14
