The Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team aims to repeat as NCAA champions and win a ninth NCAA title under Mark Johnson. Ranked No. 1 for much of the season, they claimed their 11th WCHA title with a 4-2 win over St. Cloud State on February 22. However, they fell 2-1 to No. 2 Ohio State in the WCHA championship last Saturday and lost their top ranking. Despite their loss, this team remains a prime candidate to return to the championship game.
The Wisconsin Badgers are the no. 2 seed in the 2026 NCAA women’s hockey tournament.
The Badgers enter this tournament ranked second and will take on the winner of Thursday’s game, Quinnipiac and Franklin Pierce, on Saturday. The Quinnipiac Bobcats are ranked seventh in the USCHO Division I Women's Poll with a 28-8-3 record. The Franklin Pierce Ravens are 23-11-2 and are unranked in the USCHO poll. Neither team has faced the Badgers this season.
Regardless of the winner, either Quinnipiac or Franklin Pierce will have a tough time stopping the Badgers’ four 20+ goal scorers. Forward Lacey Eden leads the Badgers with 28 goals and 73 points this season. Behind Eden are three 24-goal scorers: forwards Cassie Hall, Kelly Gorbatenko, and Kiersten Simms.
On defense, the Badgers feature WCHA Player of the Year and three-time Defender of the Year Caroline “KK” Harvey, who is also the Olympics MVP. This season, Harvey finished two points short of breaking her own single-season defensive scoring record of 63 points.
Saturday’s game will mark the Badgers’ 20th appearance in the NCAA women’s hockey tournament, which is the second-most all-time behind Minnesota’s 23 appearances. This team, which finished 32-4-2 in the regular season and WCHA playoffs combined, has the skill and talent to reach the NCAA championship game. However, they cannot afford to overlook a Quinnipiac or Franklin Pierce team eyeing a major upset.