Wisconsin star scores likely the best women's hockey goal of all time before scoring OT winner to secure NCAA championship

Kirsten Simms delivered what could be the greatest women's hockey goal ever scored before winning Wisconsin its eighth national title in overtime.

The Wisconsin Badgers faced the Ohio State Buckeyes for the third-straight year in the Division I NCAA finals for women's ice hockey on Sunday. Ohio has appeared in the last four championship games, winning in 2022 and 2024 but losing to Wisconsin in 2023.

In the third period, Wisconsin was down 3-2 when one of their star forwards, Kirsten Simms, took a penalty shot with just 18.9 seconds remaining.

The right-handed skater slowly approached the puck before she dangled Ohio State's goalie out of position and scored what must be one of the best women's hockey goals of all time, if not the best.

Simms was not finished there.

Just 2:49 into overtime, Wisconsin's Lacey Eden fired a shot from the right wing that was stopped but bounced directly into Simms' path on the left side, where she slid a shot through a defenseman's legs for the championship goal. The crowd erupted as the team celebrated and threw their equipment into their air over the 4-3 victory.

'It hasn't sunk in yet, it doesn't feel real.'

Simms finished the game with two goals and an assist, while Eden had two assists of her own.

"It hasn't sunk in yet, it doesn't feel real," Simms told ESPN reporter Blake Bolden. "This team went to bat all game, we fought through a ton of adversity and to come out on top is just exactly what we wanted."

"I was so nervous," Simms said about the penalty shot. "Couldn't think while I was going, just had to try to be confident with it, but it worked out."

Wisconsin Badgers forward Kirsten Simms after winning the NCAA title. Photo by Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Simms remarked on the tough battle her team went through and how pleased she was that Wisconsin managed to stick together in crunch time.

"I couldn't be happy enough for us," she added.

Simms was 10th in league scoring with 25 goals in 41 games. Wisconsin's Casey O'Brien scored 26 this season, while teammate Laila Edwards scored a league-leading 35 goals.

Simms had an even more impressive season in her 2023-2024 campaign, when she scored 33 goals and 42 assists in just 39 games.

She is a First-Team All-American, WCHA Player of the Year, WCHA Forward of the Year, and made the 2023 NCAA All-Tournament Team.

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