The Wisconsin women's hockey program is the reigning National Champion for NCAA hockey. They will head into next season with the trophy on the shelf to prove it. While all the other teams are technically going to be gunning for them, there is one team in particular: the Ohio State Buckeyes. They are perpetually one of the best teams in the nation and the 2024 National Champions.
These two programs have developed a bit of a rivalry against each other. Wisconsin's lone loss last season was against the Buckeyes, and thus, there is a potential problem hanging over the schedule for the Badgers. Wisconsin could be without five players when Ohio State comes to Madison in February. Thanks to the 2026 Olympic Games.
Of note here is the 2026 Olympics Games in Italy. Five current #Badgers played for Team USA at the world championships this year.
— Kedrick Stumbris (@KedrickStumbris) May 21, 2025
Women's hockey competes in 2026 from February 5th to the 19th, so UW will be shorthanded against Ohio State (which may be short just one Olympian). https://t.co/e6zcJrTzIL
The 2026 Winter Olympics may impact Wisconsin in games against Minnesota and Ohio State
According to Kendrick Stumbris, the Badgers have five current players on the USA women's hockey roster, while Ohio State only has one. The Buckeyes may also be without Adela Sapovalivova, who is most likely going to play for Czechia in the Olympics.
This could be pivotal for the standings and rankings for women's hockey next season. With five star players out for the Badgers, it could be the difference between a win and a loss. They also could be short-handed against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The Olympians will presumably already be in Italy at the end of January, preparing for the games to start and trying to bring back gold for the USA.
This means Wisconsin could be short-handed for two back-to-back game sets against rivals who will be looking to take out the Badgers. This isn't ideal, but it's part of the nature of the Olympics, and every elite program has to deal with it. Being the top women's hockey program in collegiate hockey is a blessing and a curse for this exact reason. Though, as fans, we will take the trade-off.