What to know about NCAA women's Frozen Four: field, schedule, TV

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MADISON – Mark Johnson likes to break the hockey season into sections.

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When the Wisconsin Badgers women's hockey team clinched the WCHA regular season title last month, it marked the end of the one phase of the season. Up next was the WCHA Final Faceoff, where Wisconsin lost in the final to Ohio State on March 7.

The final chapter of the trilogy takes place at the Frozen Four.

“After today, we're down to four teams, and if you're fortunate you get two more games,” Johnson said after his team clinched a spot in the Frozen Four with a 6-0 win over Quinnipiac March 14. “If you win both of them, then you're national champions. It's a good spot to be in."

Wisconsin makes its fourth straight trip to the national semifinals with a chance to win back-to-back titles for the first time since Clarkson did in 2017 and ’18.

Here is what you need to know.

How to watch the women’s Frozen Four

Semifinal games will be streamed on ESPN+, a subscription service. The final will be shown on ESPNU as well as on the ESPN app.

What is the schedule for the women’s Frozen Four?

Friday, March 20

Semifinals at Pegula Ice Arena, University Park, Pennsylvania

No. 1 seed Ohio State (35-4) vs. No. 4 Northeastern (29-8-1), 3 p.m.

No. 2 Wisconsin (33-4-2) vs. No. 3 Penn State (33-5), 6:30 p.m.

Sunday, March 22

Championship

Semifinal winners 3 p.m.

A look at the teams that will challenge UW for the title

Ohio State in its sixth straight Frozen Four

Coach: Nadine Muzerall (259-85-22, 10th season).

Record: 35-4 overall 24-4 WCHA, second.

Olympians on the roster:USA – Joy Dunne, jr. F; Sweden – Jenna Raunio, fr., D, and Hilda Svensson, fr., F; Finland – Sanni Vahanen, fr., F.

Ohio State’s best player is Joy Dunne

At 5-foot-11, Dunne is an imposing, physical scorer who has been a top 10 finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award the past two seasons. In addition to helping Team USA win a gold medal in Italy, Dunne is averaging a career-high 1.7 points per game and is just three goals away from equaling her career high of 29 goals in a season despite missing eight games due to the Olympics.

Talent, experience make Ohio State dangerous

The Buckeyes don’t just think they can beat Wisconsin, they’ve done it. Ohio State won two of the five meetings between the teams this season and captured the WCHA Final Faceoff title that helped seal the No. 1 seed for the tournament.  OSU also has five players left from the 2024 team that beat the Badgers in the title game. The games are rarely easy when these teams meet.

Penn State makes first Frozen Four appearance

Coach: Jeff Kampersal (183-90-41, ninth season; 510-351-99, 30th season overall).

Record: 33-5 overall, 22-2 Atlantic Hockey America, first.

Olympians on the roster: USA – Tessa Janecke, sr., F; Sweden – Nicole Hall, soph., F; Italy – Matilde Fantin, fr., F.

Penn State’s best player is Tessa Janecke

The Nittany Lions allow the fewest goals in the nation (1.32 goals per game) and are the fourth-best scoring team (3.50 goals per game) and Janecke has a huge hand in succes as the team’s top center. She is sixth in the nation with 1.57 points per game, tied for third with eight power play goals and wins 66.4% of her faceoffs. She also ranks fifth nationally with 1.53 points per game and ranks third with .80 goals per game.

Home ice, defense makes Penn State dangerous

The Nittany Lions are 17-1 at home this season, which usually isn’t an advantage at the Frozen Four. This year, however, marks the second straight year the host school has a team in the field. Minnesota did it last season and is the last program to win the national title on its home ice (2015). Could that added advantage add some juice to the Nittany Lions' game?

Northeastern comes with underdog status

Coach: Dave Flint (397-173-47, 17th season; 485-188-49, 21st season overall)

Record: 29-8-1 overall, 21-2-1 Hockey East, first. 

Olympians on the roster: Switzerland – Alessia Baechler, fr. D.

Northeastern’s best player is Stryker Zablocki

The Huskies have produced more than their share of great players, but Stryker Zablocki is the first to be the Hockey East player of the year as well as its rookie of the year. She was the conference scoring champion (34 points) and is the fourth-best scoring freshman in the country with 44 points (19 goals, 25 assists), an average of 1.16 per game.

Hot goaltending makes Northeastern dangerous

The Huskies were the only lower seed to win in the regional final. A lot of the credit goes to sophomore goaltender Lisa Jonsson, who shut out No. 4 seed Minnesota for the first 30 minutes and didn't allow a second goal until the final 2 minutes of a 4-2 victory at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis. A hot goaltender can be the ultimate equalizer and Northeastern has one who is coming off strong performance.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: NCAA women's hockey Frozen Four schedule, TV for Wisconsin and field

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