UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team will continue their pursuit of back-to-back national championships when they face Penn State in the NCAA semifinals Friday night.

The matchup represents Wisconsin’s fourth consecutive Frozen Four appearance as the program chases what would be its historic ninth NCAA tournament championship. The Badgers enter the semifinal as defending national champions, looking to become the first team since Minnesota (2012-2013) to win consecutive women’s hockey titles.

The semifinal game takes place at Penn State’s home ice in University Park, Pennsylvania, potentially creating a challenging environment for the visiting Badgers. However, Wisconsin brings extensive experience playing on college hockey’s biggest stage, having reached the Frozen Four in each of the past four seasons.

Head coach Mark Johnson, who has guided the program through multiple championship runs, understands the magnitude of reaching this point in the tournament and the focus required to advance further.

“You’re in the Frozen Four. I mean, it’s tough to get here. You know, there’s a lot of challenges for everybody,” Johnson said. “And, you know, we’ve got four teams that have survived all of their, you know, adversity and things that they’ve had to gone through to get to this point. So, if you’re fortunate enough to win the, you know, the game tomorrow, you got three more periods and a possibility being a national championship. So, you have to go out and play well. If you don’t play well, then you’re not going to win the hockey game.”

Johnson’s experience in high-pressure situations spans decades, both as a player and coach. His understanding of tournament hockey and what it takes to win championships has been instrumental in Wisconsin’s sustained success at the national level.

The semifinal game will test Wisconsin’s ability to execute their game plan in a hostile environment while managing the pressure that comes with defending a national championship. Penn State will look to use their home-ice advantage to upset the defending champions and advance to their first national championship game.

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