Wisconsin Badgers
Penn State
Five things to know: No. 2 Wisconsin faces No. 3 Penn State in Frozen Four
March 16, 2026 | Women's Hockey
Badgers face Nittany Lions in NCAA semifinal
MADISON, Wis. - The No. 2 Wisconsin women’s hockey team faces No. 3 Penn State at Pegula Arena in University Park, Pa. in the 2026 NCAA Frozen Four on Friday, March 20 at 7:30 p.m. (ET).
Fans can watch the action on ESPN Plus or listen to Paul Braun on The Game 1070 AM.
Here are five things to know about the series:
1. REGIONAL CHAMPS
Wisconsin took down the Quinnipiac Bobcats, 6-0, on Saturday, March 14, to be named Regional Champions. Saturday’s win marked Head Coach Mark Johnson’s 700th win with the program.
During the Regional Final game, Kelly Gorbatenko collected her second hat trick of the season. The alternate captain previously found four goals against St. Cloud State on Feb. 21.
Lacey Eden found a short-handed empty-netter goal during a Bobcats power play. UW’s other two goals were scored by Kirsten Simms and Adéla Šapovalivová.
Goaltender Ava McNaughton made 17 saves and recorded her eighth shutout of the season.
2. AGAINST PENN STATE
The Badgers have few games played against the Nittany Lions all-time, but have performed well. UW is 3-1-0 against Penn State, with the two teams last meeting in September of 2022.
The Badgers fell in game one of their 2022 series but came back in game two, gathering a 9-1 victory against Penn State. Badger seniors Kirsten Simms, Laila Edwards, Claire Enright, Vivian Jungels and Caroline Harvey all made their debuts in the series.
Before that matchup, the Badgers and Nittany Lions met once before in October of 2019, where UW had a sweep over Penn State.
This is UW's first time facing Penn State in the postseason, and it is also the Nittany Lions' first time in the Frozen Four.
3. ABOUT THE NITTANY LIONS
This season, the Nittany Lions have met schools like Ohio State, Mercyhurst and Vermont, all of which UW has faced as well.
Penn State’s Tessa Janecke is a Patty Kazmaier Top-Three finalist alongside UW’s Caroline Harvey. The two were also gold-medal-winning teammates on the U.S. Olympic team this February.
Penn State is a part of the Atlantic Hockey America (AHA) conference and is 33-5-0 overall this season. The Lions recently danced past No. 6 UConn in the NCAA Regional Final this past Saturday.
Being a part of the AHA conference, Penn State doesn’t often face WCHA teams like UW, until this spring. In early January of 2026, the Nittany Lions met No. 1 Ohio State, where the Buckeyes swept them 5-1 and 4-1.
4. TWO MORE
After UW’s recent win over Quinnipiac, the Badger squad has a potential of only two games left as a team.
The Badgers have had a historic season, with a 33-4-2 overall record, and are looking to go back-to-back as National Champions..
Saturday's Patty Kazmaier award ceremony will feature UW's very own senior captain, Caroline Harvey, as a finalist.
If No. 2 Wisconsin is to advance past No. 3 Penn State in the Frozen Four, the Wisconsin women’s hockey team will face the winner of the No. 1 Ohio State v.s. No. 5 Northeastern matchup. The National Championship game will take place on Sunday, March 22 at 4 p.m. (ET).
5. PARTY IN PENNSYLVANIA
UW will host a Frozen Four pep rally at Brother’s Bar & Grill in State College, PA, before Friday’s matchup.
The fan event will take place from 4:30-6:30 pm (ET). The Badgers will arrive for the red carpet welcome at 5:15 p.m. The pub is a seven-minute drive from the Pegula Ice Arena at Penn State University.
All Badger fans are welcome to join in on the fun, supporting the Wisconsin women’s hockey team.
