Wisconsin defender Laney Potter (22) picks up the puck to lead a rush against Ohio State in a game Sunday, February 8, 2026, at LaBahn Arena in Madison, Wisconsin. The Badgers won, 4-1. Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Wisconsin women's hockey NCAA Tournament fate revealed

Originally posted on Wisconsin Badgers on SI
By Kedrick Stumbris | Last updated Mar 8, 2026 1:32 PM ET

Madison, WI — After a 2-1 loss in the WCHA Final Faceoff championship game, Wisconsin women’s hockey will not be the top-seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. That honor belongs to the Ohio State Buckeyes, but both teams are looking forward to a potential rematch and meeting in the national title game for the fourth straight season.

“I was looking at it as a two-game series,” Buckeyes head coach Nadine Muzerall said in a post-game interview about the conference and national championship games.

On Sunday morning, the path to that potential “two-game series” became clearer. Both Wisconsin and Ohio State will host regional championships this week, with a trip to the Frozen Four in State College, Pennsylvania on the line.

“Maybe we’ll see them down the road,” UW captain Caroline Harvey said. “We look forward to that if that’s the case.”

Women's hockey NCAA Tournament bracket revealed

Back in the dance

Wisconsin earns the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and hosts the winner of Quinnipiac/Franklin Pierce on Saturday! pic.twitter.com/skcNTCLzEP
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerWHockey) March 8, 2026

Before that potential matchup hosted inside the Penn State Nittany Lions’ Pegula Ice Arena, Wisconsin women’s hockey plays in a regional final this Saturday, March 14th, at 1:00 p.m. Central.

The Wisconsin Badgers will play against the winner of a regional semifinal matchup between the Franklin Pierce Ravens and the Quinnipiac Bobcats. That game will be played on Thursday, March 12th, at 7:00 p.m.

Franklin Pierce (23-11-2, 18-8-2 NEWHA) is in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program history after earning an auto-qualifying bid by winning the New England Women’s Hockey Alliance conference tournament. The Ravens, who also won the NEWHA regular-season championship, are headlined by NEWHA Goaltender of the Year Jill Hertl. The senior leads the country with a .955 save percentage.

Quinnipiac (28-8-3, 14-6-2 ECAC) defeated the Yale Bulldogs 5-1 in the ECAC Tournament championship game to clinch its first league title since 2016. Bobcats forward Kahlen Lamarche’s 42 goals lead the way nationally, and the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award top-10 finalist’s 19 assists make her the country’s third-leading scorer.

As the No. 2 overall seed, Wisconsin would face the winner of the Penn State regional in the Frozen Four semifinals. The Nittany Lions also have a bye through the regional semifinals. No. 3 PSU awaits the winner of the UConn Huskies and the Princeton Tigers.

This marks UW's 13th-straight NCAA Tournament appearance. The Badgers' 20 appearances overall are the second-most of any program in the country. Their eight national titles are the most of any NCAA women's college hockey program in any division.

Wisconsin is 8-0-0 in NCAA Tournament games on home ice inside LaBahn Arena.

The 2026 NC Women's Ice Hockey stage is set

➡️ https://t.co/jngt7uil7U
️ https://t.co/9TmLaisK8W #NCAAHockey pic.twitter.com/KqSLZ4SnHI
— NCAA Ice Hockey (@NCAAIceHockey) March 8, 2026