MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – For the 10th time in program history, the second-ranked Wisconsin women's hockey team claimed the WCHA Final Faceoff title thanks to a 6-3 triumph over top-ranked Ohio State on Saturday afternoon at Ridder Arena. 

Laila Edwards and Casey O'Brien each tallied a pair of goals, while Kirsten Simms and Britta Curl also found the back of the net as the Badgers (33-5-0) reigned victorious in the league tournament after upsetting the Buckeyes (32-4-0). 

Simms, who was named the WCHA Player of the Year on Thursday, started off the scoring for the Badgers just over six minutes into the first period after capitalizing on a breakaway.

On Wisconsin's third shot of the day, Edwards doubled the lead with her 17th goal of the year. 

Ohio State tallied their first goal of the day early in the second slate, but not long before Edwards lit the lamp on the power play with a laser from the top of the circle.

O'Brien joined in on the second period scoring party to make it a 4-1 game, before Curl scored shorthanded on a breakaway late in the frame. 

Unsatisfied with just one scored, WCHA First-Team honoree O'Brien snuck one in the five hole to start the final period off on a high note. 

The Buckeyes scored twice late in the third, but were unable to catch up to the Badgers. 

Freshman Ava McNaughton stopped 30 of the shots she faced for her 17th win of the season. 

Three Notes of the Game
- Sophomore Kirsten Simms became the first Badger since Daryl Watts in 2019-20 to record 70 points in a season. The WCHA Player of the Year now has 71 points after adding a goal and a helper in Saturday's game. 
- The Badgers captured their 10th WCHA Final Faceoff crown and their first since 2021, which also occurred with a win over Ohio State in the championship game. 
- With the conference tournament win, the Badgers claimed an automatic bid for the 2024 NCAA Tournament. This marks the 18th time in program history that UW has made the tournament. 

Straight from the Rink
Head Coach Mark Johnson
On taking down tough teams to win the conference title:
"We're really excited about the way the game went today knowing the challenges that our league presents each game, it's a tough trophy to win. As I told the team, they were prepared well for the game today and we have an opportunity and we took advantage of that opportunity. It'll be a nice bus ride home tonight." 

On the team battling through adversity to get to where they are now:
"It's a different lane we're in this year compared to where we were last year, but that's credit to the players. They've been consistent all year. We've battled through a bunch of adversities as far as our health, but we've been able to stand and be proud of our accomplishments. Certainly, this is a great way to finish off the regular season because the team earned it." 

Senior Casey O'Brien
On putting on a strong performance to upset Ohio State:
"The last time we beat them was a little closer, so I think today we took a bigger step up and everybody was playing well, everybody was connecting. It was kind of the peak of our performance so far this year, now is the best time to do it and I think we're only going to get better as we go on."  

On the team trusting one another:
"There were definitely a little bit of nerves going into it, it's natural. It's a championship game and Ohio State but we also trusted each other. Every single person was ready to go today. We knew as long as we stuck to our identity and played the way we know we can, we were going to be just fine." 

Sophomore Laila Edwards
On being able to produce when the team is working together well:
"Our whole team has really been firing on all cylinders. When everyone's doing well, it helps out with production and things like that. I owe it to all the people around me and their hard work and just doing the right things."

Up Next: Wisconsin earned the WCHA's automatic berth to the 2024 NCAA Women's Hockey Championship and will find out its fate during the selection show on Sunday at 11 a.m. on ESPNews.