WCHA Round 1 Preview

Brady Paitrick/Gophers Athletics

It’s officially playoff time as the WCHA Round 1 kicks off today with all eight teams in action. Here’s a look at the Round 1 matchups: 

(4) Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs vs (5) Minnesota State Mavericks 

Kicking off Round 1 is the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs taking on the Minnesota State Mavericks. This season the Bulldogs are 3-0-0-0-1 against the Mavericks, making them the favorite. But, it's the playoffs and anything can happen. The Bulldogs enter the weekend on a six-game win streak as Olympians Thea Johansson and Ida Karlsson re-join the lineup, riding their recent success and the energy of the home crowd the Bulldogs look to skate past the first round. Well the Mavericks enter off a weekend sweep on the road as they look to flip the script on their season. 

For the Bulldogs the player to watch is senior Thea Johansson who is coming off her Olympic debut for Sweden. In her debut Johansson scored 4 goals for the Swedes, with her impact going far beyond the scoresheet. This season with the Bulldogs Johansson has 21 points in 26 games. Well, she has continued to fall under the radar, Johansson continues to have a major impact. 

For the Mavericks the player to watch is freshman Mercury Bischoff who is currently leading the Mavericks with 29 points on the season. Entering the playoffs Bischoff is on a two-game goal streak, but has been scoreless against the Bulldogs. She will look to change this as the Mavericks look to push past the first round. 

(2) Ohio State Buckeyes vs (7) St. Thomas Tommies 

This season the Ohio State Buckeyes are undefeated against the St. Thomas Tommies, making them the heavy favorite. The Buckeyes enter the weekend on a four-game win streak as the Olympians Joy Dunne, Mira Jungåker, Sanni Vanhanen, Jenna Raunio and Hilda Svensson re-joining the lineup. With their success this season and the energy of the home crowd behind them the Buckeyes are looking to coast past the first round. Well the Tommies enter the weekend on a four-game losing streak as they look to change this season’s narrative. 

For the Buckeyes the player to watch is freshman Hilda Svensson who is coming off her Olympic debut for Sweden. In her debut Svensson recorded 2 goals and 5 assists. Svensson has continued to make waves in her rookie campaign with the Buckeyes, with 44 points in 26 games. As the Buckeyes look to climb back to the top, expect Svensson to be a key piece. 

For the Tommies the player to watch is junior Rylee Bartz who is coming off a four point weekend. So far this season Bartz has 30 points in 34 games with the Tommies. Bartz has continued to make an impact starting in the faceoff dot currently going 59% on the faceoff. Winning faceoffs is going to be a key part for the Tommies to make it past the Buckeyes. 

(3) Minnesota Golden Gophers vs (6) St. Cloud Huskies 

This season the Minnesota Golden Gophers are undefeated against the St. Cloud Huskies, making them the favorite. The Gophers enter the weekend off a series of losses as the Olympians return to the lineup. The Gophers are hoping the return of the Olympians will re-ignite their offense as they host Round 1.  Well the Huskies enter the weekend off back to back losses they look to capitalize on the Gophers recent series of losses to make it past the first round. 

For the Gophers the player to watch is Abbey Murphy who is coming off her Olympic debut with the USA, bringing home gold. This season with the Gophers Murphy has 61 points in 26 games. Known for her unique hockey plays, scoring ability, and physical presence, Murphy has continued to make waves in the NCAA. As the Gophers look to bounce back from their struggles look to Murphy to re-ignite the offensive spark. 

For the Huskies the player to watch is junior Laura Zimmermann who is coming off her second Olympic appearance with Switzerland, bringing home bronze, for the Swiss’s first medal in 12 years. This season with the Huskies Zimmermann has 13 points in 27 games. Coming off a successful Olympic tournament Zimmermann looks to find her spark up front. 

(1) Wisconsin Badgers vs (8) Bemidji State Beavers 

This season the defending champs Wisconsin Badgers are undefeated against the Bemidji State Beavers, making them a heavy favorite. The Badgers enter the weekend on a five-game win streak as the Olympians Kirsten Simms, Adéla Šapovalivová, Laila Edwards, Caroline Harvey, and Ava McNaughton return to the lineup. The Badgers are looking to continue their momentum with the energy of the home crowd behind them as they look to defend their title. Well the Bemidji State Beavers enter the weekend on a series of losses, they look to flip the script to upset the number 1 Badgers. 

For the Badgers the player to watch is Caroline Harvey who is coming off an electric Olympic performance in the USA’s gold medal run where she piled up the awards, bringing home tournament MVP, and Best Defender. Harvey has continued to be a defensive standout heading into the 2026 PWHL draft with 54 points in 26 games with the Badgers this season. 

For the Beavers the player to watch is senior Raeley Carney who has 10 points this season. Well she has struggled to find the scoresheet consistently, Carney found a goal against number 2 Ohio State last weekend and is hoping to ride that offensive spark as the Beavers gear up for a tough battle against the defending champs.

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