Following a tough loss to Ohio State in the WCHA Women’s Final Faceoff on Saturday, the UMD women’s hockey team still earned a bid to the NCAA championship bracket on Sunday.

Saturday’s Game

The Bulldogs, second-seeded heading into the conference tournament, had trouble stopping third-seeded Ohio State from putting the puck in the back of the net.

Ohio State scored the first goal just seven minutes into the game. Freshman forward Katie Davis quickly answered, scoring her first goal on the season.

With a 1-1 tie, the game began to get physical. Though no penalties were called in the first period, players were hitting the ice and losing their sticks.

An early second-period minor hooking call against UMD’s Clara Van Wieren led to an Ohio State powerplay goal.

Over the next six minutes, Ohio State netted puck after puck. A result of scattered and over-aggressive play by UMD led to four consecutive Ohio State goals.

Facing a 5-2 deficit late in the second period, the Bulldog coaching staff pulled WCHA goaltender of the year Emma Söderberg in favor of freshman Jojo Chobak — her first recorded minutes in goal since Dec. 5 against St. Cloud State.

Shortly after the substitution, Van Wieren slapped the puck into the net. Though officials paused the game to review potential goalie interference, the goal stood. Ohio State wasted no time, and answered minutes later, navigating the game to a 6-2 Ohio State after two periods of play.

A third period tripping penalty gave Ohio State another powerplay, which immediately led to a goal. Ohio State would hold strong for the remainder of the game, leading UMD to a 7-2 loss and an elimination from the WCHA final faceoff.

NCAA Championship Bracket

Each year, four conference champions receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Women’s Ice Hockey Championship. Four teams from across the country receive at-large bids.

The University of Wisconsin received an automatic bid as champions of the WCHA conference, but Sunday night’s selection show revealed UMD and Ohio State both earned a spot into the championship bracket.

This marks UMD’s 12th appearance in the NCAA championship — their first appearance since 2017. Of their 11 previous appearances, UMD has won the national title 5 times, most recently in 2010.

Fifth-seeded UMD is set to play fourth-seeded Colgate. Though the bracket lists puck drop at 6 p.m. on March 15, with Frozen Four play March 17 and 19, the homepage of the NCAA site lists varying date ranges for play.

A win over Colgate would pit UMD against the winner of No. 1 Northeastern and No. 8 Robert Morris. UMD could only face WCHA rivals Wisconsin or Ohio State in the championship game.

Any updates can be found on the NCAA’s Women’s Ice Hockey page.