Ohio State Shuts Out Minnesota in WCHA Final Faceoff Semifinal

Thursday, March 5

St. Paul, Minn.

8:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m. CT)

Ohio State

33-4-0

Minnesota

26-11-1

Minnesota

Ohio St.

WHKY Final Faceoff Semifinal Goal Celebration

Ohio State Shuts Out Minnesota in WCHA Final Faceoff Semifinal

3/6/2026 1:09:00 AM | Women's Ice Hockey

Box Score

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The No. 2 Ohio State women's hockey team earned a 4-0 shutout of third-seeded Minnesota Thursday night at Lee & Penn Anderson Arena in St. Paul, Minn. to advance to the 2026 WCHA Final Faceoff Championship.

With the win, Ohio State (33-4-0, 24-4-0 WCHA) makes its return to the Final Faceoff championship game. The Buckeyes will play No. 1 Wisconsin at 3 p.m. Sunday in the title game.

Short Story
Ohio State controlled the game from the jump. The team outshot the Gophers 33-22, went 34-26 at the faceoff dot and scored at least a goal in every period in the game to earn its fourth win over Minnesota this year.

Buckeye netminder Hailey MacLeod was a difference-maker for the Buckeyes, holding the fourth-ranked Gophers scoreless for the second time this season with 22 saves on the day.

Special teams success was key in Thursday's victory for Ohio State. Three of the team's four goals were the result of power plays, with two scored on the player advantage and another scored just seconds after. The Buckeye penalty kill went 3-for-3 against the Gophers' power play.

How it Happened

Both teams took two penalties in the first period, with Minnesota called for the first two and Ohio State the second two. The Buckeyes went 1-for-2 on the power play in the opening frame, scoring on their first opportunity at 7:06. The team needed just 50 seconds of the power play before Sloane Matthews lit the lamp from the top of the goal crease off assists from Maxine Cimoroni and Emma Peschel.
The Buckeye penalty kill held off both of Minnesota's power play chances in the first period. Hailey MacLeod made seven saves in the opening frame, with two on the penalty kill, to give Ohio State the 1-0 lead at the first intermission.
Ohio State scored once in the second period, right as its lone power play opportunity of the frame ended. As the clock expired and Minnesota's fifth skater stepped onto the ice, Jocelyn Amos sent a cross-ice pass onto the stick of Kaia Malachino, who took a shot from the high slot and sent the puck over the blocker of Hannah Clark.
MacLeod made another seven saves in the frame, including a couple one-on-one stops and one on the penalty kill to keep the Gophers scoreless entering the third period.
The Buckeyes extended their lead with a two-goal third period. After Minnesota won a faceoff in the Ohio State zone, Cimoroni stole the puck back at the top of the zone and skated it out to neutral ice. She knocked it up to Amos at the red line and Amos beat her defender and won her one-on-one with Clark for the 3-0 lead.
Matthews ended the game as she started it – with a power play goal. Ohio State went on the power play with under two minutes to play in the game and Matthews scored with 16 seconds on the clock off a redirected shot from Amos.
The Gophers put eight shots on goal in the final frame, but MacLeod earned the shutout with eight saves to end the game.

Game Notes

MacLeod recorded her program-record 23rd win of the season. She finished the game with 22 saves on the day to improve to 23-3-0 on the year. The shutout is her fifth of the season.
Ohio State now has 14 shutouts in the WCHA Tournament. The team has shut out its semifinal opponent twice in the last three years.
Matthews recorded her 100th career point with two goals in the game. She now has 100 points and 46 goals in her four-year Ohio State career.
Ohio State returns to the Final Faceoff title game for the first time since 2024 and sixth time overall. The team has now advanced to seven WCHA conference tournament championship games.

Statistically Speaking
Shots on Goal: Ohio State 33, Minnesota 22
Saves: Minnesota (Clark) 29, Ohio State (MacLeod) 22
Power Play: Ohio State 2-4, Minnesota 0-3
Faceoffs: Ohio State 34, Minnesota 26
Ohio State Scoring: Peschel (0-3-3), Amos (1-2-3), Matthews (2-0-2), Cimoroni (0-2-2), Malachino (1-0-1)

Up Next
Ohio State will play No. 1 Wisconsin in the 2026 Final Faceoff championship game Saturday, March 7. The Buckeyes and Badgers face off at 3 p.m. ET. from Lee and Penny Anderson Arena. The winner of the game will receive the league's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.

#GoBucks