Eric Boggs
Ohio State women’s hockey continues to cement its place among the elite programs in the sport, securing its sixth consecutive Frozen Four appearance with an impressive 6-1 victory over the Yale Bulldogs in the NCAA regional final at the OSU Ice Rink.
The Buckeyes wasted little time setting the tone. Just over six minutes into the opening period, Jocelyn Amos put Ohio State on the board, finishing a play set up by Joy Dunne to give the home crowd an early lead. Yale responded late in the first period when Molly Boyle capitalized on a breakaway opportunity to beat goaltender Hailey MacLeod and tie the game with 8:34 remaining in the frame. The teams remained locked at 1-1 through the remainder of the period, but the balance of the game shifted decisively after that.
Ohio State took full command in the second period, showcasing the depth and offensive firepower that has defined its season. Kaia Malachino started the surge, followed by goals from Sloane Matthews and Jordan Baxter as the Buckeyes scored three times in the period to seize control of the game.
Any remaining doubt was erased early in the third period. Less than two minutes in, Matthews struck again for her second goal of the night, finishing a setup from Sanni Vanhanen to push Ohio State’s lead to 5-1. Amos added the finishing touch with 1:25 remaining, scoring her second goal of the game and putting an emphatic stamp on the Buckeyes’ dominant performance.
The victory improves Ohio State’s record to 35-4 on the season and continues a remarkable run of postseason success. As the No. 1 seed hosting a regional for the fifth straight year, the Buckeyes once again protected home ice and advanced to the national semifinals.
Ohio State will now face No. 5 seed Northeastern in the Frozen Four semifinals on Friday at Penn State’s Pegula Ice Arena, with the game scheduled for 4 p.m. on ESPN+. A win would send the Buckeyes to their fifth consecutive national championship game. Awaiting the winner on the other side of the bracket will be either No. 2 seed Wisconsin—Ohio State’s opponent in each of the last three national title games—or No. 3 seed Penn State.
The Buckeyes are pursuing their third national championship since 2022 and carry additional motivation into this year’s tournament after last season ended in heartbreak. In the 2024 national championship game, Wisconsin was awarded a controversial late penalty shot that forced overtime, ultimately leading to an Ohio State defeat.
Head coach Nadine Muzerall acknowledged that the memory of that game still lingers within the program, even among newer players who weren’t part of that roster.
“We have a lot of girls that that wound is still open, and even the new girls that came in that weren’t a part of it have heard enough about it,” Muzerall said. “But we gotta get through Northeastern before we even look at that, and they’ve got to get there themselves.”
For Muzerall, the milestone of six consecutive Frozen Four appearances carries deep meaning. When she took over the program in 2016, Ohio State had never reached the Frozen Four. A decade later, the Buckeyes have built the longest active streak in college hockey and established themselves as a perennial national contender.
“People know the Buckeyes as who we are today, but I remember 10 years that I’ve been here,” Muzerall said. “We can see the road that we’ve traveled down, and I don’t forget it, because I don’t want to get complacent of who we are with our recruiting or how we train or who we recruit.”
She emphasized that the program’s success has been built not only on talent but also on finding players who embrace the demanding culture inside Ohio State athletics.
“I feel like a proud mom where you gotta get the horses to pull the cart, but it’s not just talent that we’re looking for, we’re looking for the right kid,” Muzerall said. “Because the Ohio State athletic department is the pinnacle of athletics and it’s very bedazzling on the outside, and everybody wants to be a part of it. But once you get in it’s hard, and it’s not for everybody and that’s OK. That’s our job as coaches to weed out the weak and get the ones that we know are going to be the warriors and survive it.”
With another Frozen Four berth secured, the Buckeyes are once again within reach of college hockey’s biggest prize—and determined to finish the job this time.
