Scarlet Sunrise: Ohio State women's hockey team wins national championship

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Ohio State women’s hockey team wins national championship

Ohio State has won yet another national championship.

While the Buckeyes football program was on spring break and the men’s and women’s basketball teams were in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, the Buckeyes women’s hockey team was crowned the best in the entire country just a day after the pistol team won its own national championship.

Sixth-year head coach Nadine Muzerall and the Buckeyes women’s ice hockey program beat Minnesota Duluth 3-2 in the national championship game on Sunday afternoon, winning the program’s first national title in its history — in its third Frozen Four, all of them coming since 2018.

Junior Kenzie Hauswirth scored the game-winner with just 6:40 to play in the third period to give the No. 1 seed Buckeyes the title.

Lettermen Row update on top OL target Austin Siereveld

Austin Siereveld is one of the top offensive linemen in the country, and he is right in Ohio State’s backyard. But the Ohio native isn’t ready to commit to the Buckeyes — or any school — just yet.

Lettermen Row’s Birm caught up with Siereveld over the weekend, and he has an update on the recruitment of the young offensive lineman — and a planned visit to Columbus.

It was former Ohio State offensive line coach Greg Studrawa who offered Siereveld in late October. Both Studrawa and Kerry Coombs had played an integral role in the budding relationship between the Buckeyes and the in-state lineman. With neither coach still on the Ohio State staff, it’s been all about getting to know Justin Frye in recent months.

Those coaching changes were hard on Austin Siereveld.

Siereveld is one of three in-state prospects that the Buckeyes want to land in their Class of 2023. The other two players — Luke Montgomery and Josh Padilla — are both committed to Ohio State. In the six months since landing the Ohio State offer, Siereveld has tried to keep personal relationships and recruiting conversation separate. That’t not always easy with his peers.

READ: Austin Siereveld ready for pivotal Ohio State visit

Buckeyes come up short in second round of NCAA Tournament

Ohio State forward E.J. Liddell grabbed his knees before walking to the bench as the Buckeyes called timeout.

The sensational superstar forward and catalyst for the Buckeyes comeback effort was visibly tired, as were his teammates who were on the floor. They had just clawed their way within two, and the timeout was to assess how they could complete the digging out of a 15-point hole.

But that comeback effort required so much energy. Maybe too much. When Ohio State needed those final few stops on defense to tie or take the lead, Villanova found offense. And that’s how the Buckeyes season ended in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday in PPG Paints Arena.

Final score: Villanova 71, Ohio State 61.

The Buckeyes were close. Oh, were they close. A 3-pointer by Jamari Wheeler capped off a 15-5 run midway through the second half. And the Ohio State bench went wild. But Villanova, time and time again, hit clutch shots to keep just enough distance, denying the Buckeyes their first Sweet 16 berth since 2013 and a rivalry rubber match with Michigan next week in San Antonio.

READ: Buckeyes comeback effort falls short in second-round loss to Villanova

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