No. 3 Gophers women’s hockey beats top-ranked Wisconsin 3-2 in overtime

Molly Jordan scored unassisted 77 seconds into the overtime to lift the No. 3 Gophers women’s hockey team to a 3-2 victory over No. 1 Wisconsin on Friday, Jan. 30, at Ridder Arena.

The victory was the 11th in a row for the Gophers (23-4, 15-4 WCHA), who were playing without Olympians Abbey Murphy, Nelli Laitinen, Josefin Bouveng and Tereza Plosová.

The loss ended a five-game winning streak and 15-game unbeaten streak (13-0-2) for the Badgers (23-2-2, 17-2-2), who were without five Olympians, including three of their top four scorers.

Both Wisconsin losses this season are to the Gophers. The Gophers defeated the defending national champion Badgers 5-1 on Oct. 31 in Madison. The Badgers, who were 6-0 against the Gophers last season, brought a 10-game winning streak against the Gophers into 2025-26.

“An incredible game and a great atmosphere,” Gophers coach Brad Frost told media after the game. “There were over 3,000 people here in the stands. Just hearing the crowd go crazy when Avery Hovland tied it up in the third was amazing. Obviously Molly’s goal at the end of the game was huge as well.

“It was a really good effort with both teams a little shorthanded. We’re really proud of our group, the way they stepped up, competed with one another, and stayed with it.”

The Gophers opened the extra session with 34 seconds remaining on a power play. The Badgers successfully killed the rest of the penalty, but 43 seconds into 4-on-4, Jordan picked up a loose puck after Gracie Graham’s centering pass was deflected by Wisconsin’s Emma Venusio.

The Gophers trailed 2-1 midway through the third period before freshman Avery Hovland picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone and snapped a wrist shot to tie the game with 10:33 remaining. It was Hovland’s second goal of the season.

Sydney Morrow staked the Gophers to a 1-0 lead with 16:13 left in the first period, but the Badgers scored twice in a 60-second span late in the second period to take a 2-1 lead.

Lacey Eden, a fifth-year senior who played at Shattuck-St. Mary’s, scored her 20th goal of the season with 5:32 left in the second period to tie it 1-1. Finley McCarthy broke the tie with 4:32 left in the period.

Gophers goaltender Hannah Clark had 25 saves. Badgers goalie Rhyah Stewart, a freshman making only her second start of the season, had 24 saves.

BOXSCORE: Gophers 3, Wisconsin 2 (OT)

The rivals went into the game as the top two scoring teams in Division I; Wisconsin had 147 goals and the Gophers had 146. The 3-2 score was the lowest scoring game in the past 14 games in the series.