WCHA Standings Heating Up
- Rebecca Labaj
- Jan 20
- 6 min read
It was a packed conference weekend for the WCHA with all 8 teams in action. Kicking off the weekend was Wisconsin at St. Thomas.
Wisconsin came out in dominating fashion, with Emma Venusio scoring the first goal just 46 seconds into the game, with the assist credited to Adéla Šapovalivová. Šapovalivová is one of the Badgers headed to the Milano-Cortina Games next month, as she represents Czechia.
Doubling the Badgers' lead not long after was sophomore Finlet McCarthy, with Caroline Harvey on the assist. The teams continued back and forth until the halfway mark of the second period, when Chloe Boreen put St. Thomas on the board, making it a one-goal game.
The Badgers didn’t want to leave the game close, striking early in the third to extend their lead courtesy of Lacey Eden, with the assist coming from Kirsten Simms. Not long after that, the Badgers struck again, this time with Kirsten Simms finding the back of the net with assists from Laila Edwards and Caroline Harvey. All three are set to represent the U.S. at the Olympics, with Simms and Edwards making their debut. To cap off the game, it was Lacey Eden for the Badgers, taking Game 1 of the series 5-1.
In Game 2, the Badgers struck first again, this time over halfway into the first period, with Cassie Hall finding the back of the net assisted by Laila Edwards. Doubling their lead less than a minute later was Lacey Eden from Kirsten Simms. To round out the first period, it was Kelly Gorbatenko who has been quietly building a name for herself now with 29 points this season.
Period 2 was a little quiet with Rylee Bartz scoring the lone goal to put St. Thomas on the board with assists from Ella Boerger and JuliAnna Gazdik.
The Badgers came out hot in the second with Cassie Hall finding the back of the net just over a minute into the frame. Rounding out the game with just 31 seconds left was Lacey Eden from Adéla Šapovalivová, to take Game 2, 5-1, for their first series sweep of the new year.
Throughout the series, Ava McNaughton showed exactly why she was named to the U.S. Olympic roster and the 2025-26 Women’s Goalie of the Year Watchlist. She has been a consistent presence for Wisconsin on the back end now, with a record of 20-1-2. This will be a big hole for the Badgers to fill during their matchups against Ohio State and Minnesota State, during the Olympic Games, with players also possibly missing their last matchup of the season against St. Cloud, before the playoffs.
Luckily for the Badgers, they are currently number 1 in the WCHA, but Ohio State and Minnesota aren’t far behind, with a 3 and 5 point gap, respectively. The Badgers and Golden Gophers are expected to have their Olympic players for their matchup at the end of the month before the Games kick off.
Next up was the St. Cloud Huskies visiting the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs, with both teams looking to bounce back from losses last weekend.
It was the Bulldogs who struck first with Rae Mayer finding a way past Emilia Kyrkkö with assists from Ava MacLeod and Tova Henderson. The Huskies continued to try to find a way past Ève Gascon, who wasn’t letting up, blocking 26 shots through the first two periods. Near the end of the second period, Rae Mayer found another for the Bulldogs, doubling their lead heading into the third period.
But the Huskies weren’t ready to let this one slip, forging their comeback late in the third with Avery Farrell finding a way past Ève Gascon to put St. Thomas on the board. Not long after Maélie Pion, found the back of the net, tying the game, forcing overtime. Neither team was able to find the finish, tying the game 2-2.
In Game 2, both teams looked to come out on top. It was the Bulldogs who struck first courtesy of Caitlin Kraemer, giving them the early lead, which they were able to carry into the second. But, it was the Huskies who showed up in the second, scoring two goals in the first 37 seconds, the first from Laura Zimmerman and the second from Maria Mikaelyan, carrying the 2-1 lead into the third period.
The third period saw back-and-forth action with both teams looking to capitalize to take the series. But it was the Huskies who struck first again with Maria Mikaelyan notching her second of the game, extending their lead to 3-1. With less than 4 minutes left the Bulldogs pulled their goaltender hoping to spark a comeback, but it would be Sofianna Sundelin who capitalized on the opportunity for the Huskies, scoring the empty-netter.
With less than a minute left to go in the game Thea Johansson who found the back of the net for the Bulldogs, however, it was too little to late for a comeback with Avery Farrell finding the Huskies second empty-netter to cap off the game to take the series 1-0-1.
Next up was the Ohio State Buckeyes at the Minnesota State Mavericks, Ohio State looking to stay undefeated in the new year, while the Mavericks looked to get their first win of 2026.
It was the Buckeyes that struck first with Jordyn Petrie unassisted, to take the early lead. But it didn’t take long for the Mavericks to find an answer courtesy of Mercury Bischoff. It was Jocelyn Amos with back-to-back goals for the Buckeyes to take a 3-1 lead. The Mavericks would find one last answer before the period ended, with Ayla Puppe finding the back of the net.
The Mavericks carried this momentum into the second period with Mercury Bischoff striking first. But Joy Dunne had the answer for the Buckeyes, going on to score a natural hat-trick, to extend Ohio’s lead to 6-3.
The Mavericks tried to make a late push with Sophie Stramel finding the back of the net to start closing the gap. But Joy Dunne would answer again for the Buckeyes, for her fourth goal to take the game 7-4.
Game 2 saw lots of back-and-forth action before Kassidy Carmichael would find the back of the net to give the Buckeyes a 1-0 lead heading into the second period. The Buckeyes carried that momentum into the second with Emma Peschel scoring just 47 seconds into the frame. Not long after Hilda Svensson, followed up to give the Buckeyes a 3-0 lead.
The Mavericks didn’t want to give this one up, continuing to push. Taylor Otremba was able to find a way past Taylor Kressin to put the Mavericks on the board. To end off the second period, it was Joy Dunne who found the back of the net, giving the Buckeyes a 4-1 lead. Dunne is set to make her Olympic debut at the Milano-Cortina Games, representing the U.S. So far this season, she has 41 points with 27 goals and 17 assists.
After a scoreless third period, the Buckeyes continued their undefeated streak, now with six in the new year.
To wrap up the WCHA a busy conference weekend was the Minnesota Golden Gophers at the Bemidji State Beavers. The Golden Gophers looking to stay undefeated in 2026 while the Beavers looked to lock up their first win of the new year.
With less than 5 minutes remaining in the opening frame, Abbey Murphy found a way past Kaitlin Groess unassisted. Less than 15 seconds later, it was Ava Lindsay for the Gophers, assisted by Jamie Nelson and Nelli Laitinen, doubling their lead heading into the second period.
The Gophers continued this momentum into the second period with Kendra Distad notching the goal with assists from Tereza Plosova and Molly Jordan just over halfway through the period, followed up by Bella Fanale assisted by Josefin Bouveng and Abbey Murphy to give the Gophers a 4-0 lead. Ending off the second period was Sydney Morrow on the power-play with assists from Chloe Primerano and Emma Kreisz.
The Beavers dominated the third period, not allowing any goals from the Gophers, while scoring 3 of their own, coming just short of tying the game. The first one came from Hailey Armstrong on the power-play, which was then followed up by one from Izy Fairchild, and ending the game was Shelby Sandberg.
In Game 2 the Gophers ran away with the series, with a 11-1 win. Both Abbey Murphy and Ava Lindsay had hat tricks in the matchup with Josefin Bouveng, Emma Kreisz, Kendra Distad, and Bella Fanale adding one each. The lone goal for the Beavers was scored by Morgan Smith short-handed.
The Gophers have several players headed to the Olympic Games: Abbey Murphy representing the U.S., Tereza Plosová and Natálie Mlynková representing Czechia, and Nelli Laitinen representing Finland
Abbey Murphy has been on fire in the NCAA, becoming the 2nd all-time point scorer in program history and sweeping the Forward of the Week Award in 2026. Murphy now has 58 points this season with 33 goals and 25 assists in just 24 games.
The WCHA standings are heating up near the top and we could see some movement in the coming weeks, with big matchups on the horizon and the Olympic break, taking several players from top teams, while the season continues.
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