The Winter Olympics ended on Feb. 22, and since then, I’ve been chasing the high of having my emotional support athletes on TV round-the-clock. Alas, the new season of Love is Blind doesn’t hit the same for me, even with its Columbus connections.
In my attempts to fill the void, I’ve found myself reliving Ohio State’s success in women’s ice hockey in Milan-Cortina.
To put in perspective just how well-represented Ohio State was in women’s ice hockey, 12 current and former Buckeyes (five current players
and seven alumnae) made their respective teams. Eleven of the twelve played in medal games, eight earned medals, and seven of them were on the ice in the gold medal game.
Forward Joy Dunne, along with alumnae Cayla Barnes and Hanna Bilka, took home gold medals with Team USA after their 2-1 overtime win over Canada, while alumnae Jenn Gardiner, Sophie Jaques, Emma Maltais and Natalie Spooner earned silver in that same game.
Rounding it out with bronze was alumna Andrea Braendli, a member of Switzerland’s team. Current freshmen Hilda Svensson and Jenna Raunio and sophomore Mira Jungaker represented Sweden in that bronze medal match.
While these women’s connections to Ohio State span nearly 15 years—Spooner graduated in 2012 and is the most veteran of the players—the remaining Olympians with ties to Ohio State have been in more recent graduating classes (2022-2024), or are still actively playing for the Buckeyes.
When you consider how few spots there are on an Olympic team (23 players per roster, 10 teams total), it’s a remarkable feat to have so many come from the same program in such a short amount of time.
More than 13 percent of the Team USA roster came from Ohio State, second only to the University of Wisconsin (another women’s ice hockey powerhouse and the reigning national champs), and former Buckeyes comprised more than 17 percent of Team Canada.
They didn’t just make their respective rosters, either. Dunne, the youngest player on the US roster, earned a start in the gold medal game in her first Olympics and scored two goals. Bilka tied for the most goals in the entire Olympic tournament (4).
Braendli finished the tournament second in total saves. Bilka and Svensson tied for fifth in the tournament in total points, with seven each in seven games. In the bronze medal match, Jungåker scored Sweden’s lone goal off an assist from Svensson.
It was a remarkable showing on an international stage for a program that has risen to dominance in the last decade, all of which is a testament to head coach Nadine Muzerall.
Since taking over the program in September of 2016, Muzerall has led the Scarlet and Gray to two national titles (2022 and 2024), its first No. 1 ranking, seven NCAA tournament appearances, and six Frozen Fours, and was the first coach to lead the team to any of those milestones. With her at the helm, the Buckeyes have played in the last four consecutive national title games.
So now, two weeks after the fact, I’m still thinking about all the ways in which Muzerall’s magic hand has built the program into a full-fledged powerhouse and all the ways in which that breeds greatness on an international scale.
But I also keep thinking about the fact that, until two weeks ago, and maybe even now, many Ohio State fans are unaware of just how dominant this program has become.
In fact, just a few days before the Olympics, I asked several casual Buckeye fans which Ohio State programs are the most dominant these days: All of them answered “Football.” I also got a few “Women’s Basketball” answers, along with one “Tennis.”
No one said, “Women’s hockey.”
My own family, all of whom follow women’s sports closely and all of whom are diehard Ohio State fans, had no idea the level of dominance this program has achieved under Muzerall until they were on the receiving end of my repeated, “She’s a Buckeye. She was a Buckeye. She went to Ohio State. Her too!” commentary during this year’s Olympic games.
If I were to ask this same question again post-Olympics, “Women’s ice hockey” might make its way into at least one person’s answer, but it’s entirely possible that even after all the Olympic hullabaloo, it would still not be on people’s radars.
And this too has been on my mind—how a team can be so dominant for the better part of a decade, win two national titles, have players succeed on the Olympic stage, and still fly under the radar. As someone who frequently says, “I just want to watch great [insert sport here],” it doesn’t seem like it gets better than Ohio State women’s ice hockey.
So now, with the Olympians back home, I’m getting ready to dive in head-first. The No. 2 Buckeyes are set to face off against No. 3 Minnesota in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Final Faceoff this Thursday (their conference tournament) at 8:32 PM ET.
The winner will play in the final this Saturday, March 7, against the winner of No. 1 Wisconsin vs. No 12/13 Minnesota State. All games will stream on B1G+. The Buckeyes went 3-1 against the Gophers in the regular season.
From there, the 2026 NC women’s ice hockey championship bracket will be announced on March 8, with regionals taking place from March 12-15.
I for one will be tuned in and locked in as I continue to chase the thrill of Olympic women’s ice hockey and the Buckeye women continue to chase more wins on a big stage.
