Badgers power past Penn State in overtime thriller

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With a big boost from its Olympians, UW women's hockey advances to the NCAA championship game.

On Friday night, the UW women's hockey team overcame Penn State's home-ice advantage in an overtime classic to advance to the 2026 NCAA championship game. In front of a record crowd in University Park, Pennsylvania, the game featured spirited and chippy play between two of the best teams in the nation - the defending champion Badgers, aiming for their ninth national title, and the upstart Nittany Lions, making their first Frozen Four appearance.

Senior forward Laila Edwards, fresh off a gold medal performance at the Olympics, scored a pair of equalizers in the first and second period after Penn State jumped out to early leads. Freshman forward Adéla Šapovalivová (also an Olympian, if you can sense a trend) gave the Badgers a 3-2 lead with a wrap-around goal late in the second period. But Penn State sent the game to overtime on a breakaway score with under five minutes left.

In overtime, senior forward Kirsten Simms (you guessed it, another Olympian) quickly capitalized on a power play to send Badger fans - who traveled aplenty to Pennsylvania - into pandemonium. It was Simms's 100th career goal and a rerun of her overtime heroics in last year's championship game.

Next up? Rival Ohio State, who the UW will face on Sunday in a rematch of the last three title games. The dynasty doesn't end here.