No. 2 Ohio State to Play No. 1 Wisconsin in 2026 WCHA Final Faceoff Championship Game

No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 1 Wisconsin
Date: March 7, 2026
Time: 3 p.m.
Venue: Lee & Penny Anderson Arena – St. Paul, Minn.
Watch: B1G+/WSYX-DT2 6.2/FOX9 (Minneapolis, Chicago, Houston)
Live Stats: OhioStateBuckeyes.com

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State women's hockey team is back in the WCHA Final Faceoff championship game. The No. 2 Buckeyes (33-4-0, 24-4-0 WCHA) play No. 1 Wisconsin at 3 p.m. Saturday, March 7 at Lee & Penny Anderson Arena in St. Paul, Minn. for the conference tournament title.

The Final Faceoff championship game will be streamed on B1G+ (subscription required), televised locally on WSYX-DT2 6.2 The Nest and on FOX9 stations in Minneapolis, Chicago and Houston.

Buckeyes in a Nutshell

Ohio State advanced to the 2026 WCHA Final Faceoff championship game with a 4-0 win over third-seeded Minnesota Thursday night. Hailey MacLeod made 22 saves for her fifth shutout of the season and Jocelyn Amos, Kaia Malachino and Sloane Matthews scored for the Buckeyes. The Buckeyes were 2-for-4 on the power play.
Ohio State is set to play in its seventh conference tournament final and its sixth Final Faceoff championship game on Saturday. Ohio State is back in the title game for the first time since 2024 and has advanced to the game in six of the last seven seasons.
MacLeod made program history in Thursday's game, earning her program-record 23rd win of the season. The senior netminder helped Ohio State to its 14th WCHA tournament game shutout and just the second all-time against the Gophers in the conference tournament.
Matthews scored twice on the power play in the semifinal game to record her 100th career point. She is the fourth player on this year's team to tally 100 points in the Buckeye sweater.
Ohio State is now 25-8 in the WCHA tournament under head coach Nadine Muzerall. Both of the team's Final Faceoff championship wins have come during Muzerall's tenure.

Series History – Buckeyes vs. Badgers

Ohio State and Wisconsin have met 13 times in the WCHA tournament prior to Saturday's game. The Buckeyes have won five matchups against the Badgers in the tournament.
Ohio State won its first Final Faceoff championship in 2020 win a 1-0 overtime win over the Badgers. The last time the teams faced off in the conference title game was 2024.
The last meeting between the top two teams in the country was a series split in Madison, Wis. Feb. 7-8. Each team won a game by a 4-1 score with Ohio State taking game one and Wisconsin winning game two.

Up Next
The 2026 NC women's ice hockey championship begins with regionals March 12-15. Ohio State will find out its tournament seed and regional during the NCAA selection show on Sunday, March 8 at 11:30 a.m. on ESPNU.

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