Mark Johnson – (File Photo by David Stluka)
The second-ranked Wisconsin women’s hockey team fell short in the WCHA Final FaceOff championship game as No. 5 Ohio State scored in overtime to pull out a 1-0 victory in Minneapolis.
The Badgers (28-5-3 overall) came out dominated game play, winning the faceoff margin 36-24 and out-shooting the Buckeyes 41-26 (24-8-6 overall) to keep the game scoreless through regulation.
The Buckeyes scored the only goal 4:25 into overtime as Tatum Skaggs put the puck into the Badger net for the game winner.
Abby Roque and McKenzie Steffen were named to the all-tournament team for the Badgers.
A familiar opponent awaits Wisconsin in the NCAA quarterfinals, as the Badgers will host Clarkson on Saturday at LaBahn Arena.
Puck drop between the Badgers and Golden Knights is set for 2 p.m. CT and tickets will go on sale Monday morning at 8:30 a.m. on UWBadgers.com. UW has sold out its last six NCAA quarterfinals, including last year’s game that sold out in minutes.
The Badgers are 4-1-1 all-time against Clarkson, including a 1-1 ledger in postseason games and a 1-0-1 record at LaBahn Arena.
The Badgers enter as the number-2 overall seed in the eight-team tournament. The winner advances to the 2020 NCAA Women’s Hockey Frozen Four, held at Agganis Arena in Boston, March 20-22.