Wednesday, March 19, 2025
Women’s Notes: NCAA Frozen Four Preview
UW-Minnesota, OSU-Cornell meet Friday in semifinals
Friday, March 21
5:00 pm ET: #2 Ohio State vs #3 Cornell (semifinal)
Watch: ESPN+, TSN+
8:30 pm ET: #1 Wisconsin vs #4 Minnesota (semifinal)
Watch: ESPN+, TSN+
Sunday, March 23
4:00 pm ET: Championship Game
Watch: ESPNU / ESPN+, TSN+
Frozen Four Media Kit (PDF) | Tournament Bracket
The University of Minnesota’s Ridder Arena is the site of the 2025 NCAA Division I Women’s Hockey Frozen Four this weekend in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Both Frozen Four semifinal matchups will be available in the U.S. on ESPN+ and in Canada on TSN+. Sunday’s championship game will stream in the U.S. on ESPN+/ESPNU and on TSN+ in Canada. Jason Ross Jr., AJ Mleczko, and Blake Bolden will be on the call throughout Frozen Four play.
This year’s Frozen Four field has combined to win 15 national championships, including each of the last five:
2024: Ohio State (35-4)
2023: Wisconsin (29-10-2)
2022: Ohio State (32-6-0)
2021: Wisconsin (17-3-1)
2020: Canceled due to COVID-19
2019: Wisconsin (35-4-2)
These four teams also boast nine of the nation’s top 10 individual scoring leaders, the nation’s winningest goaltender, the NCAA leader in shutouts, six of the 10 finalists for the 2025 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, and all three finalists.
Daily Scoreboard | Weekly Schedule | Composite Schedule | Stat Leaders | Goaltending Leaders
2024 NCAA Women’s Frozen Four Notes:
The Roads Traveled – How each of the four semifinalists made their way to Minneapolis:
Cornell (25-4-5): Cornell, the ECAC champion, punched its ticket to the Frozen Four in front of a record-setting 3,135 fans at Lynah Rink when they defeated the Minnesota Bulldogs. A defensive battle and goaltender showdown, the Big Red notched the game winner three minutes into the third period when junior D Alyssa Regalado (Mississauga, Ontario) netted her second goal of the season. Netminder Annelies Bergmann (Detroit, Mich.) recorded her league leading 10th shutout of the season, stopping all 28 shots.
Minnesota (29-11-1): The Gophers defeated Colgate 3-2, earning the chance to play in their hosted Frozen Four. The nation’s leading scorer, senior forward Abbey Murphy (Evergreen, Ill.), led the Gophers with two power-play goals, surpassing Natalie Darwitz for sixth place on the program’s all-time scoring list. Goaltender Hannah Clark (Oshawa, Ontario) made 24 saves and recorded her first career assist on Murphy’s second goal of the game.
Ohio State (28-7-3): The Buckeyes advanced to this year’s Frozen Four with a 6-1 victory over No. 8 St. Lawrence, their fifth consecutive Frozen Four. After conceding an early goal, the Buckeyes responded with six unanswered goals by five different scorers, including four in the final nine minutes. Forward Joy Dunne (So., O’Fallon, Mo.) led the team with two goals and two assists, setting a program record for points in an NCAA tournament game.
Wisconsin (36-1-2): The tournament’s No. 1 overall seed and WCHA regular-season champion Wisconsin Badgers solidified their spot in the Frozen Four with a 4-1 victory over Clarkson. Despite outshooting their opponent 14-4, the Badgers were down 1-0 in the first frame but scored two unanswered in the second to take the lead. The Badgers had four different goal scorers and graduate Casey O’Brien (Milton, Mass.) recorded two assists giving her 85 points on the season.
Must Read:
The Athletic: PWHL sets U.S. attendance record in Detroit as part of Takeover Tour
The Athletic: Inside the women’s hockey powerhouse led by ‘Miracle on Ice’ legend Mark Johnson
Daily Faceoff: 2025 NCAA Women’s Frozen Four Preview
ESPN: NCAA women’s hockey tournament: Top seeds move on to Frozen Four
The Hockey News: Boston Activates Hadley Hartmetz From LTIR
The Hockey News: Preview: NCAA Women’s Hockey Frozen Four
The Ice Garden: Frölunda HC Win SDHL Championship
The Ice Garden: NCAA DI Tournament 2025: Regional Finals Wrap Up
PWHL: Weekly Notebook: March 18, 2025
USCHO: Wisconsin trio named top three finalists for 2025 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award
USCHO: Weekend Wrap March 17, 2025
Must Watch & Hear:
12 News: Cornell Women’s Hockey punches its ticket to the Frozen Four
Jocks in Jills: Sirens Have Life, International Updates, & Daryl Watts in Her Own Words
The PodKaz: Ep. 42 The 2025 Frozen Four is set
Our Kids Play Hockey: Debunking Youth Hockey Myths with Boston Bruins’ Performance Coach Neeld
Title Town:
The 2025 women’s Frozen Four features a combined 15 national championships between the competing programs, topped by Wisconsin’s NCAA-leading seven:
Most NCAA titles
Wisconsin – 7
Minnesota – 6
Minnesota Duluth – 5
Clarkson – 3
Ohio State – 2
The Badgers are making their 20th NCAA Tournament appearance, which trails only Minnesota’s 22 among NCAA Division I women’s programs. Cornell is making its fifth Frozen Four appearance and seeking its first national championship.
Head of the Class:
Six of the 10 finalists for the 2025 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award are competing in the Frozen Four: Wisconsin D Caroline Harvey (So., Salem, N.H.), Wisconsin F Casey O’Brien (Sr., Milton, Mass.), Wisconsin F Laila Edwards (Jr., Cleveland Heights, Ohio), Wisconsin F Kirsten Simms (Jr., Plymouth, Mich.), Minnesota F Abbey Murphy (Sr., Evergreen Park, Ill.), and Ohio State F Joy Dunne (O’Fallon, Mo.).
Last week, it was announced that the Wisconsin trio of O’Brien, Edwards and Harvey were the top three finalists for the award. The recipient will be announced Saturday at the Frozen Four on NHL Network.
DIII Domain:
The first round of games for the women’s Division III national championship took place last weekend. St. Norbert defeated Gustavus 3-1, Elmira blanked Plattsburgh 1-0, Nazareth defeated Endicott 4-2, and Colby snuck by Wilkes 4-3. The winners advance to the quarterfinals and a chance to compete in the Frozen Four.
To see a full bracket, see here.
Notebook Quotebook:
“We are thrilled to be going to the Frozen Four, really proud of this group. Fought through a lot of adversity throughout the year, and to see them come together and stick together, in particular in the third period, when things got a little hairy and a little tougher, but found a way. Got the saves that we needed, really good sticks and big blocks, and things that you need to do to win big games at the end of the year.”
–Head Coach Brad Frost (Bethel ’96) on his team’s effort in their 3-2 win over Colgate to advance to the Frozen Four.
PWHL Note of the Week:
Boston Fleet captain Hilary Knight (Wisconsin ’12) is having a March to remember as she earned back-to-back PWHL First Star of the week. Over the past four games, she has accumulated nine points, including a career-high four-point performance against New York on March 5, tying the PWHL record for most points in a game. Knight now sits first in league scoring with 26 points (13 goals, 13 assists), edging out New York’s Sarah Fillier (Princeton ’24) by one point.
To see a full list of PWHL stat leaders, see here.
Fries at the Bottom of the Bag:
2025 marks the second time in history that the top three Patty Kazmaier Award finalists all came from the same team. The Minnesota Gophers had a trio in 2013 when Amanda Kessel, Megan Bozek, and Noora Räty were named the three finalists … With four points in Ohio State’s victory over St. Lawrence, Buckeye forward Joy Dunne (So., O’Fallon, Mo.) recorded her 100th career point. In just 77 games played, she is the fastest player in program history to achieve this feat … Cornell defeated Minnesota Duluth to advance to the Frozen Four in front of a record-setting crowd of 3,135 fans at Lynah Rink … Gopher graduate Audrey Wethington (Edina, Minn.) set a new record for most games played in program history with 174 … Wisconsin’s Casey O’Brien (Milton, Mass.) became only the fourth NCAA player to record 60 assists in a season, joining the likes of Natalie Darwitz (Minnesota, 2004-05), Jennifer Botterill (Harvard 2002-03) and Krissy Wendell (Minnesota, 2004-05). O’Brien has 85 points on the season which ranks second in school history. Meghan Duggan holds the record of 87 set during the 2010-11 season.
CONFERENCE WEBSITES
CHA | ECAC | Hockey East | NEWHA | WCHA
Did you know? 97% of NCAA Division I women’s hockey players earn their degree!