Kirsten Simms sparks Wisconsin to 4-3 sudden-death win over Ohio State in title match of Frozen Four

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Kirsten Simms scored on a penalty shot to tie it after a successful Wisconsin challenge with 18 seconds left and then delivered the winner 2:49 into sudden-death overtime to rally top-seed Wisconsin to a 4-3 victory over No. 2 seed Ohio State in the championship match of the women’s Frozen Four on Sunday.

It was the third straight season the two schools squared off for the NCAA title. Coach Mark Johnson’s Badgers beat Ohio State 1-0 in 2023 before losing 1-0 to Nadine Muzerall’s Buckeyes last season.

Simms forced OT when she scored after Wisconsin (38-1-2) was successful on a challenge that an Ohio State player put her hand on the puck while in the crease. The Buckeyes were playing shorthanded at the time after being caught with too many players on the ice with 1:50 remaining.