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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — No one has to remind the Ohio State women’s hockey team of what happened in their last national championship appearance.
With OSU up 3-2, the Buckeyes made a late mental mistake and were called for having too many skaters on the ice, giving Wisconsin a power play. The ensuing final minutes included an infraction in the crease for covering the puck, a Wisconsin penalty shot that tied the game, and then an overtime goal from Kirsten Simms on the rush that gave the Badgers the title and left the Buckeyes devastated.
Ohio State coach Nadine Muzerall has been talking about wanting to play Wisconsin again in the title game and referring to her feelings about the possible rematch as a “vendetta.” She admitted that her word choice there is very deliberate. Her husband, Ryan Venturine, once built a 1965 Ford Mustang from scratch and called the car “Vendetta.” The name resonated with Muzerall.
“I loved that name because of the meaning of the word. I thought it was very fitting because it's also a fast race car that was completely bad--- and pretty. And I just thought it really exemplified who my team is,” Muzerall said.
Wisconsin and Ohio State are poised for their fourth-straight women’s hockey national championship matchup, and Muzerall hopes her players embody the look, feel and attitude of that old car. The speed and swagger may help them get past their rivals, who’ve had a slight edge over the past four years.
The two teams have played 21 times in that span. Each team has won 10 games and one game ended in a 3-3 tie. Crucially, though, in their three national championship matchups to date, Wisconsin has the advantage. UW took a 1-0 win in 2023. OSU answered with a 1-0 victory of their own to earn the title in 2024, and the Badgers miraculously pulled off that 4-3 overtime win in 2025.
So no, Ohio State doesn’t hate Wisconsin. Hostility might be a better word. There’s a deep respect between the programs. But Ohio State does carry a vendetta. They’re looking to score some recompense come March 22.
“We've been here before,” said Muzerall. “Hopefully it's a similar story with a different ending, but we're excited. We've been planning all year with how the season ended last year. Is there a vendetta? Of course there is, and there should be excitement with that. But we're ready to go, and we're excited for the task at hand.”
Ohio State defender Emma Peschel played in a national championship game her freshman year. It was a dream come true, she said. Nothing she ever expected.
But things have changed. Now the team has returned to three more of those games, and it’s not a novelty; it’s an expectation. And the seniors have a distaste for losing one-goal title matches, especially to them.
“It's a really deep-rooted rivalry,” said Peschel. “The last four years have been us and them. We know the commitment that it takes and the drive that we have. It starts in September, when we get on campus. We start preseason and we know that this is the game that you want to come and play in.
“We've grown to know a lot about their program, and that rivalry continues to get bigger and bigger, and I think they feel the same way. It's the best college hockey you'll be able to watch, and I stand by that, and I think both teams will bring their best [March 22]. It'll be physical, it'll be fast, and it'll be fun hockey.”
Wisconsin won three of four games between the teams during the regular season, but the Buckeyes dominated UW in the WCHA conference tournament championship game, causing Badger coach Mark Johnson to say afterwards that his team did not bring their “A-game” to the match.
Despite their repeated meetings in high-pressure and high-leverage situations and both coaches doing their best to keep their team even-keeled, it’s impossible to ignore that there’s a lot more on the line for this final meetup of the season.
“I think the meaning of the game and the opportunity that's at the end for the winning team hopefully gets everybody on both sides of the aisle ready to play their best game,” said Johnson. “If Ohio State plays their best game, and [Wisconsin] plays our best game? Oh, what a treat.
“... It's going to be special. It's going to be fun. And there's going to be a lot of people around the country that are going to be watching it. At the end of the day, if that ends up happening, in the big picture, women's hockey is going to win out.”
That may be true, but Muzerall wants to make sure her team wins out, as well. That means learning from last year and ensuring her team is prepared and won’t find themselves in a similar situation.
“We have to make sure we keep them calm on the bench and focused,” she said. “Last year, we did have an error that cost us a championship. So, we're going to pursue perfection. We won't reach it, but we're going to really be cautious of not making a big error like that again.
“What I do know is going to be a really good game.”
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State women's hockey faces Wisconsin for national title
Continue reading...
With OSU up 3-2, the Buckeyes made a late mental mistake and were called for having too many skaters on the ice, giving Wisconsin a power play. The ensuing final minutes included an infraction in the crease for covering the puck, a Wisconsin penalty shot that tied the game, and then an overtime goal from Kirsten Simms on the rush that gave the Badgers the title and left the Buckeyes devastated.
Ohio State coach Nadine Muzerall has been talking about wanting to play Wisconsin again in the title game and referring to her feelings about the possible rematch as a “vendetta.” She admitted that her word choice there is very deliberate. Her husband, Ryan Venturine, once built a 1965 Ford Mustang from scratch and called the car “Vendetta.” The name resonated with Muzerall.
“I loved that name because of the meaning of the word. I thought it was very fitting because it's also a fast race car that was completely bad--- and pretty. And I just thought it really exemplified who my team is,” Muzerall said.
Wisconsin and Ohio State are poised for their fourth-straight women’s hockey national championship matchup, and Muzerall hopes her players embody the look, feel and attitude of that old car. The speed and swagger may help them get past their rivals, who’ve had a slight edge over the past four years.
The two teams have played 21 times in that span. Each team has won 10 games and one game ended in a 3-3 tie. Crucially, though, in their three national championship matchups to date, Wisconsin has the advantage. UW took a 1-0 win in 2023. OSU answered with a 1-0 victory of their own to earn the title in 2024, and the Badgers miraculously pulled off that 4-3 overtime win in 2025.
So no, Ohio State doesn’t hate Wisconsin. Hostility might be a better word. There’s a deep respect between the programs. But Ohio State does carry a vendetta. They’re looking to score some recompense come March 22.
“We've been here before,” said Muzerall. “Hopefully it's a similar story with a different ending, but we're excited. We've been planning all year with how the season ended last year. Is there a vendetta? Of course there is, and there should be excitement with that. But we're ready to go, and we're excited for the task at hand.”
Ohio State defender Emma Peschel played in a national championship game her freshman year. It was a dream come true, she said. Nothing she ever expected.
But things have changed. Now the team has returned to three more of those games, and it’s not a novelty; it’s an expectation. And the seniors have a distaste for losing one-goal title matches, especially to them.
“It's a really deep-rooted rivalry,” said Peschel. “The last four years have been us and them. We know the commitment that it takes and the drive that we have. It starts in September, when we get on campus. We start preseason and we know that this is the game that you want to come and play in.
“We've grown to know a lot about their program, and that rivalry continues to get bigger and bigger, and I think they feel the same way. It's the best college hockey you'll be able to watch, and I stand by that, and I think both teams will bring their best [March 22]. It'll be physical, it'll be fast, and it'll be fun hockey.”
Wisconsin won three of four games between the teams during the regular season, but the Buckeyes dominated UW in the WCHA conference tournament championship game, causing Badger coach Mark Johnson to say afterwards that his team did not bring their “A-game” to the match.
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Despite their repeated meetings in high-pressure and high-leverage situations and both coaches doing their best to keep their team even-keeled, it’s impossible to ignore that there’s a lot more on the line for this final meetup of the season.
“I think the meaning of the game and the opportunity that's at the end for the winning team hopefully gets everybody on both sides of the aisle ready to play their best game,” said Johnson. “If Ohio State plays their best game, and [Wisconsin] plays our best game? Oh, what a treat.
“... It's going to be special. It's going to be fun. And there's going to be a lot of people around the country that are going to be watching it. At the end of the day, if that ends up happening, in the big picture, women's hockey is going to win out.”
That may be true, but Muzerall wants to make sure her team wins out, as well. That means learning from last year and ensuring her team is prepared and won’t find themselves in a similar situation.
“We have to make sure we keep them calm on the bench and focused,” she said. “Last year, we did have an error that cost us a championship. So, we're going to pursue perfection. We won't reach it, but we're going to really be cautious of not making a big error like that again.
“What I do know is going to be a really good game.”
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State women's hockey faces Wisconsin for national title
Continue reading...
