The Ohio State Buckeyes women's ice hockey team represents Ohio State University in NCAA Division I competition in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) conference. The team plays in Columbus, Ohio, at The Ohio State Ice Rink on the Ohio State campus.
History The Buckeyes competed in the WCHA championship tournament in March 2001, defeating the St. Cloud State Huskies in the first round and No. 1 Minnesota Golden Gophers in the second round to advance to the championship game. The Buckeyes were defeated by the eventual national champion Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs. The Buckeyes had an 18–16–3 overall record, including 11–10–3 in the WCHA, and finished No. 8 in the national polls. They were 12–5–1 in their last 18 contests during the regular season and finished 7–1–0.
The 2001–02 season saw the Buckeyes defeat several nationally ranked teams, including the No. 3 University of New Hampshire Wildcats and the No. 4 St. Lawrence Saints, and tie the No. 6 Dartmouth Big Green. Five players received postseason honors, including Jeni Creary, who was named the WCHA Rookie of the Year and All-WCHA First Team selection after leading the nation in scoring for the first half of the season, and Emma Terho , who earned JOFA/AHCA Second Team All-America accolades and All-WCHA Second Team honors despite missing ten games while representing her native Finland at the 2002 Winter Olympics.
In the 2006–07 season, the Buckeyes reached the 20-win mark for the first time in program history, finishing the season with a 20–13–4 record. They set a program record for the longest unbeaten streak at ten games (9–0–1, Oct. 28 – Dec. 8), posted a team-best 30 points in the WCHA with a 13–11–4 conference record and had a 12–5–3 home record while finishing fourth in the league standings. They swept the Minnesota State Mavericks in the best-of-three league playoff tournament and advanced to the WCHA semifinals against eventual national champion Wisconsin. The Buckeyes completed the season as the 10th-ranked team in the USCHO.com and USA Hockey national polls.
Head coach Jackie Barto recorded her 200th career win on November 24, 2007, with a 4–1 victory against St. Cloud State at the OSU Ice Rink.
In 2008, Tessa Bonhomme was Ohio State's first two-time Top 10 finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, given to the top Division I women's hockey student-athlete in the nation. She was also the team captain of the 2007–08 Buckeyes. Bonhomme was also named WCHA Player of the Year and WCHA Defensive Player of the Year, the first Buckeye to receive either award.
Jody Heywood was a two-time finalist for the Hockey Humanitarian Award in 2007 and 2008, the first Buckeye on either men's or women's teams to be a finalist for the award.
In 2009, Liana Bonanno became the program's first ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America at-large selection, earning a place on the third team.
Natalie Spooner scored 21 goals in 2009, leading the team and earning the program's No. 7 spot for single-season goals. She had a six-game point streak from Nov. 15 to Jan. 9, including a five-game goal streak to tie for the second-longest program history. On December 12, 2008, she set the program record for goals in a game with four in a 6–5 win at Minnesota State, including a natural hat trick in the second period in a span of 1:56.
The 2009–10 season opening game was Barto's 500th career game as coach.
Laura McIntosh was recognized as the WCHA offensive player of the week for October 19, 2011. She had a record-breaking weekend in the Buckeyes' conference series sweep of St. Cloud State, during which she was credited with four points, seven shots on goal and a +5 plus/minus rating. On October 14, she scored her first season goal and assisted on a Hokey Langan goal. The assist made McIntosh Ohio State's all-time leader in career points against WCHA opponents, surpassing Jana Harrigan's 110 league points in 2006. McIntosh scored two points the following day, assisting on Ally Tarr's shorthanded game-winning goal and scoring the Buckeyes' third goal.
Three players reached milestones in a January 27, 2012, defeat of the North Dakota Fighting Sioux. Spooner scored two goals, McIntosh had three assists, and Langan had two assists. McIntosh's assists moved her into a tie at the top of the program's all-time career points list. Her 160 career points are now tied with Harrigan's. Spooner's goals were on the power-play, bringing her season total to seven. Spooner reached the 150-career point mark with the goals, good for third all-time in program history. Langan's assists helped her reach the 100-point milestone, only the eighth Buckeyes player to reach the mark.
The Buckeyes suffered a period of coaching instability, having three head coaches in three seasons. Nate Handrahan resigned in 2015 following reports of sexual harassment, and replacement coach Jenny Schmidgall-Potter resigned in 2016 after repeated NCAA violations. Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith hired then-Minnesota assistant coach Nadine Muzerall. Muzerall was an assistant coach at Minnesota from 2011 to 2016, which won four national championships in that span. Before Muzerall's hiring, the team had never qualified for the NCAA tournament.
Muzerall quickly turned the Buckeyes around. Following a 14-18-5 season in 2017, they received an at large bid for the 2018 NCAA Women's Ice Hockey Tournament. They beat the Boston College Eagles 2–0 in the quarterfinals, making it to their first ever NCAA Women's Frozen Four. They lost in the semi-finals to Clarkson.
On March 8, 2020, the Buckeyes defeated the Wisconsin Badgers 1–0 in overtime to earn the program's first WCHA championship. They automatically qualified for the 2020 NCAA Women's Ice Hockey Tournament, which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They received an at large bid for the 2021 NCAA Women's Ice Hockey Tournament.
For the 2020/21 season, the Buckeyes again advanced to the WCHA Championship game, where they fell to the Wisconsin Badgers in overtime. In the National Tournament, they beat Boston College in the quarterfinals 3-1, but once again fell to Wisconsin in the Frozen Four.
During the 2021/22 season, the Buckeyes reached the program's first 1 seed after defeating Minnesota 3–2 in overtime for the WCHA Championship, in the process earning both an automatic bid to the 2022 NCAA Women's Ice Hockey Tournament and a home playoff game. The Buckeyes defeated the 7 seed Quinnipiac 4–3 in double overtime, sending them to the program's 3rd Frozen Four. There, they beat #6 Yale 2–1, and won the program's first National Title two days later, beating Minnesota Duluth 3–2. Defenseman Sophie Jaques finished the season with 21 goals and 38 assists for 59 points total and was a Patty Kazmaier Award finalist. Jaques and head coach Nadine Muzerall became the USCHO's Player of the Year and Coach of the Year, respectively.
In the 2022/23 season, the Buckeyes won their first WCHA regular season title on the back of a 28-4-2 regular season record. They lost to Minnesota in the WCHA Championship game but still received the #1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament, their second in a row. In the NCAA tournament, the Buckeyes beat Quinnipiac 5-2 in the quarterfinal and played in their third-straight Women's Frozen Four against #5 seed Northeastern, which they defeated 3-0 to advance to their second-straight final. In the final, Ohio State lost 1-0 to Wisconsin, giving Wisconsin its 7th title. Sophie Jaques won the Patty Kazmaier Award, given annually to the best player in Women's Hockey. She was Ohio State's first player to win that award and the second defenseman to win the award.
Season-by-season results
Coaches Barto served as the program's first head coach, leading the team from 1999 to 2011 and finishing with a record of 178–209–42 (.464). During her first ten years as head coach, the program received 14 All-WCHA honors. She served on the NCAA Women's Ice Hockey Championship Committee from 2000 to 2006 and is a member of the American Women's Hockey Coaches Association. She retired in April 2011 after 12 seasons at Ohio State.
In May 2011, Nate Handrahan became the program's second head coach. He coached the team for four seasons, finishing with a record of 67–64–15 (.507). He resigned on March 9, 2015, amid a sexual harassment investigation.
On April 12, 2015, Jenny Schmidgall-Potter was named the program's third head coach. She finished her single season with a record of 10–25–1 (.288).
In September 2016, Nadine Muzerall was named the program's fourth head coach.
Current roster As of September 16, 2025.
Buckeyes in professional hockey = CWHL All-Star Team= NWHL All-Star= Clarkson Cup Champion= Isobel Cup Champion= Walter Cup Champion PlayerPositionTeam(s)League(s)YearsCayla BarnesDefenseMontreal VictoirePWHL2024–2025Seattle Torrent2025–presentLauren BernardDefenseToronto SceptresPWHL2024–2025New York Sirens2025–presentHannah BilkaForwardsBoston FleetPWHL2024–2025Seattle Torrent2025–presentMadison BizalDefenseMontreal VictoirePWHL2023–2024Minnesota Frost2025-2026Tessa BonhommeDefenseToronto FuriesCWHL2010–20151 (2014)Amber BowmanDefenseMississauga ChiefsCWHL2007–2013Brampton ThunderBurlington BarracudasToronto FuriesRiley BrengmanDefenseBoston FleetPWHL2025-2026Jenna BuglioniForwardSeattle TorrentPWHL2025-2026Clair DeGeorgeForwardMinnesota FrostPWHL2023–20241 (2024)Montreal Victoire2024–2025Toronto Sceptres2025–presentJennifer GardinerForwardMontreal VictoirePWHL2024–2025PWHL Vancouver2025–presentHadley HartmetzDefenseBoston FleetPWHL2024–presentSophie JaquesDefenseBoston FleetPWHL2023–2024Minnesota Frost2024–20252 (2024, 2025)Vancouver Goldeneyes2025–presentRaygan KirkGoaltenderToronto SceptresPWHL2024–presentEmma LaaksonenDefenseKiekko-EspooNSML1996–2000, 2004–2007, 2008–2019SKIF Nizhny NovgorodRWHL2007–2008Paetyn LevisForwardNew York SirensPWHL2023–presentEmma MaltaisForwardToronto SceptresPWHL2023–presentStephanie Markowski DefenseOttawa ChargePWHL2024–presentLaura McIntoshForwardMarkham ThunderCWHL2012–2013, 2015–20181 (2018)Jincy RoeseDefenseOttawa ChargePWHL2023–2025New York Sirens2025–presentGabby RosenthalForwardNew York SirensPWHL2024–2025Vancouver Goldeneyes2025–presentKassidy SauvéGoaltenderNew EnglandPWHPA2019–2022CalgaryTorontoHPKNSML2021–2024Liz SchepersForwardMinnesota FrostPWHL2023–20252 (2024, 2025)Boston Fleet2025–presentNatalie SpoonerForwardToronto FuriesCWHL2012–20191 (2014)TorontoPWHPA2020–2021Calgary2022–2023Toronto SceptresPWHL2023–presentAmanda ThieleGoaltenderBoston FleetPWHL2025-presentMinttu TuominenDefenseKiekko-EspooNSML2006–2009, 2013–2024Linköping HCSDHL2016–2017KRS Vanke RaysZhHL2020–2022Erika VanderveerGoaltenderRavens SalzburgEWHL2007–2008Brampton ThunderCWHL2008–2014Boston BladesToronto FuriesMaddi WheelerForwardNew York SirensPWHL2025-2026Kiara ZanonForwardToronto SceptresPWHL2025-present
International On the international level, Barto was an assistant coach in 1998 at the USA Hockey Women's Festival in Lake Placid, N.Y., where she was one of four head coaches in 1999. She was an assistant coach for the 2003 U.S. Women's Under-22 Select Team. She was a member of the selection committee for the 2006 Winter Olympic U.S. National Women's Hockey team. She was head coach of the U.S. Women's National and Select teams in 2007–08 and coached the U.S. Women's Select Team to a silver medal at the Four Nations Cup in November 2007. She was named head coach of the U.S. Women's Under-22 Team for 2008–09. She led the U.S. Women's National Team to the gold medal at the 2008 IIHF World Women's Championship in Harbin, China.