Despite carrying a lead into the third period, Wisconsin women’s hockey fell at the hands of the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes on Friday night. A tremendous performance in net was not enough for the No. 1 Wisconsin Badgers (4-1-0, 0-1-0 WCHA) as they battled to overcome injuries, absences, and penalties.
Game 1 of this two-game series as Wisconsin opened WCHA play in Columbus, Ohio showcased an Ohio State program that remains as physically imposing as any in the sport. The Buckeyes’ approach appeared to get under the skin of the rival Badgers early, often, and throughout.
As UW resets for Game 2, its top contributors are likely trying to maximize their rest and recovery ahead of an early 2:00 p.m. CT start on Saturday after playing big minutes in the series opener.
Kelly Gorbatenko dresses, but does not play
Badgers forward Kelly Gorbatenko exited Wisconsin’s series finale against the Boston University Terriers last week with an apparent left arm/wrist injury after blocking a shot and did not return to play. The captain did return to the bench to provide much-lauded moral support to her teammates and she seemed to play that same role in Columbus on Friday night.
With the Badgers already missing defenders Ava Murphy and Emma Venusio and forward Rosalie Tremblay at Hockey Canada training camp, Gorbatenko slid down the line chart. Usually lining up at left wing on Wisconsin’s top group, the Chicago Mission product was penciled in, at least theoretically, as UW’s fourth-line center.
In reality, Badgers head coach Mark Johnson rolled through his top three lines of forwards and his top two defensive pairings. Union College transfer Lauren Johnson was an occasional presence on the blue line, but the fourth forward line and defender Shayla Beaudette remained on the bench for all sixty minutes of play.
Sophomore Mackenzie Jones made her season debut after missing Wisconsin’s first four games.
Ava McNaughton keeps Wisconsin women’s hockey afloat
As a consequence of Wisconsin’s missing personnel, the Badgers often struggled to break out of their defensive zone, turn defense into offense in transition, and generate quality scoring opportunities. When the third period started, OSU seemed to have a significant endurance advantage and dominated possession.
Before the final minute, Wisconsin attempted just two shots in the third period. Ohio State, meanwhile, managed 30 shots, landing 19 of them on goal.
While Badgers shifts often consisted of long attempts to successfully break out of the defensive zone, getting a line change, and repeating, goaltender Ava McNaughton made save after save in a game Wisconsin needed the Olympian to play spectacularly to give her team a chance. Both goaltenders were perfect at 5-on-5.
McNaughton made 38 saves on the evening, tying a career-high set in the 2026 WCHA Final Faceoff championship game against Ohio State. It was the fourth time in the senior’s career that she made 35 or more saves in a contest. All four of those were against the Buckeyes.
Third-period penalties prove costly
Officials blew their whistles early and often in this tense rivalry matchup. Nela Lopušanová and Jenna Raunio’s cross-checking infractions 79 seconds in were the first of 17 total penalties on the night. After Cassie Hall scored a power-play goal in the second period to put Wisconsin up 1-0, a trio of third-period penalties against the Badgers paved the way for an Ohio State victory.
As the OSU offensive pressure began to get the better of UW, Hannah Halverson put the Badgers on the penalty kill as she went to the box for slashing with 14:09 remaining. Buckeyes defender Swedish Olympian Mira Jungåker converted on the advantage with a slapshot from the point as Team USA’s Joy Dunne provided a screen, tying the game at 1-1.
Later, it was sophomore center Adéla Šapovalivová with a pair of costly penalties that helped put Ohio State on top and stymie the Wisconsin comeback bid. With just under five minutes to play, Šapovalivová put the Buckeyes back on the power play when officials assessed a roughing minor for her post-whistle shove of OSU forward Kaia Malachino in front of the Badger net.
Then, Jungåker found her Team Sweden teammate, Hilda Svensson, with loads of time and space on the faceoff dot, who beat McNaughton glove side with a back-breaking wrist shot to give Ohio State its first lead of the night.
Despite the penalties and struggle to overcome the Buckeyes pressure, Wisconsin had a late chance at a comeback. A cross-checking penalty against Sydney Sawyer gave the Badgers a power-play, an offensive zone faceoff, and (after pulling McNaughton in favor of the extra attacker) a 6-on-4 advantage with 1:03 remaining.
That two-skater advantage was ultimately cut short. OSU forward Kassidy Carmichael cleared the puck with 18 seconds remaining, officials called Šapovalivová for a high-sticking penalty well behind the play, and the ensuing faceoff in front of the UW net eliminated any chance of a last-second rush going the other way that could have tied the game.
Just as it did a season ago, Ohio State leads the country with its players serving over 11 penalty minutes per game. On Friday night, the Buckeyes successfully dragged the Badgers, typically one of the least penalized teams in the country, into the muck.
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