Late Claire Enright Goal Lifts Wisconsin to Ninth NCAA Women's Hockey Championship

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — For the fourth consecutive year, the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Wisconsin Badgers met in the NCAA Division 1 women’s hockey championship.

The previous three matchups were all one-goal victories — a 1-0 Badgers win in 2023, a 1-0 Buckeyes win in 2024, and a 4-3 overtime win for the Badgers last season. In fact, the last time a women’s division 1 champion was not Ohio State or Wisconsin was in 2018, when Clarkson defeated Colgate in Minneapolis. 

The 2026 meeting was the fifth time in 6 years that Wisconsin and Ohio State met in the NCAA Tournament, and it was once again the Wisconsin Badgers who lifted the championship trophy, becoming the first back-to-back champions since Clarkson in 2017 and 2018. 

Outlasting an Ohio State comeback attempt in the third period, Wisconsin used a late third-period Claire Enright goal to seal the 3-2 Wisconsin win Sunday afternoon at Pegula Ice Arena to win their ninth championship, and fifth since 2019. Graduate forward Lacey Eden became the first women’s college hockey player to win four national championships (2021, 2023, 2025, and 2026).

Yet another one-goal championship win, it promised to be a tight one right from the start. Despite Ohio State outshooting Wisconsin early in the first period, the Badgers opened up a 2-0 lead before the midway point with goals by Kelly Gorbatenko and Cranberry, Pennsylvania native Laney Potter. 

From there, it was all either team could do. Despite having four power play attempts through the first two periods, Wisconsin couldn’t add to the lead. Despite a strong offense, Ohio State couldn’t get on the board. Wisconsin goaltender Ava McNaughton, a native of Seven Fields, PA, stood tall in goal, stopping all 23 shots she faced through the first two frames. 

The third period was a different story. First-year forward Kassidy Carmichael finally got the Buckeyes on the board just 3:31 into the period and Jocelyn Amos tied the game 2-2 just two minutes later. In what looked like the makings of another overtime thriller, Enright did not want any doubt about how her senior season would end. She buried the game-winner with just 6:18 left to play to give the Badgers the lead for good. Ohio State tried a last-gasp effort, pulling goaltender Hailey MacLeod with under two minutes to go. But penalties in the final minute by Leah Wicks and Joy Dunne just 36 seconds apart took the wind out of their sails and left the Buckeye’s comeback attempt short. 

MAJOR FOCUS: WISCONSIN WINS NINTH CHAMPIONSHIP

Notes of interest

Wisconsin: 41-10 in the NCAA Tournament and 3-1 at Pegula Ice Arena.

Wisconsin forward Laila Edwards has 12 NCAA Tournament goals, a school record

Wisconsin is 4-1 against Ohio State in the NCAA Tournament.

Wisconsin senior defender Caroline Harvey won the 2025-26 Patty Kazmaier Award winner, given to the most outstanding women’s NCAA Division 1 hockey player.