Wisconsin women’s hockey vs. Ohio State Frozen Four: how to watch, game preview and open thread

The Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team is back in the Frozen Four for the seventh consecutive season. This year a familiar foe awaits them as WCHA rival Ohio State will be standing across the ice from them on Thursday night at the Erie (Pa.) Insurance Arena. UW beat Providence 3-0 in the quarterfinals on Tuesday to get here while the Buckeyes dispatched Boston College 3-1 in their quarterfinal contest.

Please join us below for an open thread during the game Thursday (that’s tonight!) night where we can discuss the game and what you’re having for dinner. Pretty sure we are having buffalo chicken egg roll deals, so tonight is a big night for everybdy.

How to watch/listen

TV: ESPNU, 6:00 p.m CST

Streaming: Watch ESPN

Radio/Satellite: 1310 WIBA, Brian Posick

Live stats: Here!

Arena: Erie Insurance Arena, Erie, Pa.

Fun facts (courtesy of the media guides for both teams)

• Wisconsin improved to 7-1-1 all-time against Providence with their win in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
• This was the fifth quarterfinal shutout game in a row for the Badgers as UW hasn’t given up a goal in the round of eight since the 2015 NCAA Championship.
• Wisconsin improved to 26-8 all-time in NCAA tournament games and is on a four-game winning streak after winning the 2019 NCAA Frozen Four title.
• The Badgers have now made the last seven NCAA Frozen Fours, which is the longest streak in NCAA history, breaking the previous record of six held by arch-rival Minnesota who, it should be noted, didn’t even MAKE this year’s tournament.

• This will be the 100th overall meeting between Wisconsin and Ohio State and the sixth this year alone.
• Thursday’s matchup will mark the first time that the WCHA rivals have played each other in the NCAA tournament.
• UW is 3-2 against Ohio State this season including a split series both home and away, and an overtime win to claim the WCHA Final Faceoff title.
• Four of the previous five meetings this season between Ohio State and Wisconsin have been decided by one goal and two of them have gone into overtime (each team has won one of those contests).
• The Badgers are 5-1-1 all-time in games played on a Thursday. One of those Thursday games was the 4-1 win over Harvard in the 2008 Frozen Four. Wisconsin currently holds a six-game unbeaten streak when playing on Thursday.

• The last time Wisconsin gave up a power-play goal was on February 5 when the Badgers defeated the Golden Gophers 4-3 at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis. The team ranks ninth in the NCAA for penalty kills with an 88.6 and had killed its last 12 penalties.
• A win on Thursday would put Ohio State in the National Championship Game for the first time in program history.
• Three-quarters of the 2021 Frozen Four field is from the WCHA: second-seeded Wisconsin, third-seeded Ohio State and fifth-seeded Minnesota Duluth. It’s the second time that the league has had three national semifinalists (2009 was the other time). The league has had at least two Frozen Four participants seven years in a row and in 15 of the last 20 tournaments.