It took a single period for Ohio State women's hockey to erase all doubts that it would play in yet another NCAA Frozen Four National Championship Game.
The No. 1 seed Buckeyes pounced on No. 4 seed Northeastern in the semifinals of the Frozen Four, scoring four goals in the first period en route to a 5-0 victory to advance to their fifth consecutive national title game. Ohio State outshot the Huskies 41-18 in the contest, with each of its five goals coming from a different shooter.
Forward Joy Dunne, the team's leader in goals on the season, got the scoring started just more than 10 minutes into the game. Jocelyn Amos fired a shot that Northeastern goaltender Lisa Jonsson saved with a kick from her right leg pad, only for a trailing Dunne to punch the loose puck home off the rebound.
Scoring in the #WFrozenFour? Kinda @joyv_dunne's thing #GoBucks | Watch on @ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/QY1JT2sa9o
— Ohio State Women's Hockey (@OhioStateWHKY) March 20, 2026
The last three and a half minutes of the first period were when the onslaught started. Ohio State scored three goals in that stretch to build its 4-0 lead. Forward Kaia Malachino got the rout started, skating into open ice and firing a wrist shot into the five-hole (that's between the goalie's legs).
Chinoooo #GoBucks | @ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/SBVMe4t7Cb
— Ohio State Women's Hockey (@OhioStateWHKY) March 20, 2026
Sixty-three seconds later, a pinpoint pass from freshman forward Hilda Svensson set fellow freshman forward Sanni Vanhanen up for a one-timer that zipped past Jonsson's right leg pad.
Sanni Vanhanen makes it 3-0 #WFrozenFour x ESPN+ / @OhioStateWHKY pic.twitter.com/j66hoTNagY
— NCAA Ice Hockey (@NCAAIceHockey) March 20, 2026
Just when it seemed Northeastern could get into the locker room and lick its wounds during intermission, a juggled pass from Dunne found the stick of defenseman Emma Peschel for a one-timer slap shot with less than one second on the clock. It was a pure snipe, buried into the top-right corner of the net to cross up Jonsson and take the 4-0 lead into first intermission.
Peschel beats the buzzer @OhioStateWHKY heads into the 2nd period with a 4-0 lead #WFrozenFour on ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/rYMvdG5Tcq
— Big Ten Hockey (@B1GHockey) March 20, 2026
Things seemed like a formality from there. Neither team scored in the second period as Ohio State calmly killed off two penalties, then defenseman Sara Swiderski added extra insurance 2:31 into the third period to make it 5-0 Buckeyes. OSU skated out the final 17 minutes from there to clinch another national title game berth.
Ohio State advances to the NCAA Frozen Four National Championship Game, where it will face the winner of No. 2 seed Wisconsin and No. 3 seed Penn State. If the Buckeyes face the Badgers, it will be the fourth consecutive national championship game decided between the two powerhouses. Wisconsin won in 2023 and 2025, and Ohio State in 2024.
A win in the title game would bring the Buckeyes their third national championship in five years after they captured their first title in school history in 2022. Puck drop is Sunday at 4 p.m., with ESPNU set to broadcast the event.
