By Danielle Daniels
Nadine Muzerall OSU Women’s Hockey head coach On 2024-25 team outlook Part 1 9 17 2024.mp3
Nadine Muzerall File
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- Alma Mater:
- Minnesota 2001
Entering her ninth season at the helm of the Ohio State women’s ice hockey program, Nadine Muzerall has established the Buckeyes as one of the nation’s top programs.
In just six seasons, she led the team to its very first national championship during a record-breaking 2021-22 campaign that saw the Buckeyes earn their very first No. 1 national ranking and No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed. The team went on to win its second national title in 2024 after another record-breaking season in 2023-24.
The Muzerall File
- Two NCAA national championships – 2022*, 2024
- Five Frozen Fours – 2018*, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
- Six NCAA Tournament Appearances – 2018*, 2020^, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
- Two WCHA Final Faceoff championships – 2020*, 2022
- Two WCHA regular season championships – 2023*, 2024
- 195-73-19 overall record; 127-65-17 WCHA record
- Nine All-America Awards
- Three Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Top-10 Finalists – Jenn Gardiner, Sophie Jaques, Emma Maltais
- Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award winner – Sophie Jaques* (2023)
*Program’s first
Muzerall has accumulated a .713 win percentage (195-73-19) and a .648 win percentage in conference play (127-65-17). She has been named the Western College Hockey Association’s Coach of the Year for the last three seasons and has earned the honor five times for her career.
The Buckeyes’ 2023-24 national championship season saw the team break numerous program records including overall wins (35), conference wins (26), goals (201), assists (330), points (531), goals in a game (12), shutouts (12) and more. The team won the WCHA regular season title for the second consecutive season, advanced to the WCHA Final Faceoff championship game for the fifth straight season and earned the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year.
Freshman Joy Dunne was named the WCHA’s Rookie of the Year and the Julie Chu National Rookie of the Year for her standout performance in year one as a Buckeye. Defenseman Cayla Barnes earned Second Team All-America honors while six players finished the year with All-WCHA awards.
In 2022-23, the Buckeyes completed a historic conference schedule, winning the WCHA’s regular season title and bringing the Julianne Bye Cup to Columbus for the first time in program history. Ohio State made its second consecutive national championship game appearance, finishing as runner ups, and also advanced to the WCHA Final Faceoff Championship game. The team ended the season with a then-program record 33 wins.
In 2023, Sophie Jaques became the first Buckeye to win the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award. Jaques is just the second defenseman to win the award. For the first time in Muzerall’s tenure, and the second time in program history, the Buckeyes had two Kazmaier Top-10 finalists in Jaques and Jenn Gardiner. Jaques also won WCHA Player of the Year, WCHA Defender of the Year and Ohio State Female Athlete of the Year honors.
The Buckeyes’ 2021-22 national championship season was monumental in more than one category for Ohio State. Not only did the team top the national rankings for the first time in the history of the program, but the 32-win season smashed the program’s previous record of 24. Going 32-6-0 overall and 21-6-0 in conference play, the team also set program records in WCHA wins (21), home wins (17), road wins (10) and win percentage (.842) to name a few. The Buckeyes recorded the most goals (175), assists (286) and points (461) in the NCAA that season and were statistical champions in goals per game (4.605), scoring margin (3.08), power-play percentage (0.379) and winning percentage. The team won the program’s second WCHA Final Faceoff Championship and second in just three seasons. With the top seed in the NCAA tournament, Ohio State also hosted NCAA tournament games for the first time in the 23-year history of the program.
Under the tutelage of Muzerall, Jaques became the program’s first Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Top-3 Finalist. With 59 points on the year, she set an Ohio State defenseman record for points in a season, tied the overall points in a season record and recorded the second-most season points by a true defenseman in the history of NCAA women’s hockey. Jaques was named an AHCA First Team All-American, the WCHA Defenseman of the Year and USCHO.com Player of the Year. Three student-athletes coached by Muzerall – Emma Maltais, Jincy Dunne and Andrea Braendli – were selected to represent their respective countries at the 2022 Beijing Olympics with Maltais winning gold with Canada, Dunne earning silver with Team USA and Braendli backstopping the Swiss to the bronze medal match.
The 2020-21 season saw Muzerall guide the Scarlet and Gray to new heights, reaching a then-program high No. 2 in the polls in February following a sweep of Minnesota. In the postseason, the Buckeyes advanced to their second consecutive WCHA Final Faceoff title game as well as the program’s second Frozen Four in four years. Ohio State was 13-7 overall against a schedule that featured 16 games against teams that were in the NCAA Tournament.
Muzerall led the Buckeyes to unprecedented success in the 2019-20 season as the team posted its third-straight 20-win season and tied a single-season win record, previously set by Muzerall and the Buckeyes in 2017-18. Along the way, Ohio State tallied eight wins against Top 10 opponents, including six Top 3 upsets. The Buckeyes also won their first-ever WCHA Championship in just their second conference championship appearance. In the Final Faceoff, Ohio State defeated Minnesota and Wisconsin in overtime to give the Buckeyes their first automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
With the success on the ice during the 2019-20 season, numerous Buckeyes earned individual honors, headlined by Jincy Dunne earning AHCA First Team All-American honors and WCHA Defensive Player of the Year for the second year in a row, while Emma Maltais was named Second Team All-American and a Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Top 10 Finalist. It marks the first time since 2012 a Buckeye has received the honor.
Muzerall took over the program in September 2016 and battled through a tough season to improve the Buckeyes’ win total from the 2015-16 season while establishing a culture and mentality around the team that would soon pay off.
In just her second year at the helm, Muzerall took the Buckeyes to where they had never been before, making the NCAA tournament and NCAA Frozen Four for the first time in program history. Along the way, the Buckeyes set program records for wins (24) and WCHA wins (14), while posting an 11-5-1 record against top-10 ranked teams. Thanks to her efforts on the bench, Muzerall earned the first WCHA Coach of the Year award in program history.
Her third season saw the Buckeyes win 20 games, the first time the team has notched back-to-back 20 win seasons. The team has also carved out a spot in both of the national top 10 polls, holding down a spot in both since 2017, the longest streak in team history. The Buckeyes have earned hardware for their efforts, including a WCHA Defensive Player of the Year award for Jincy Dunne, two All-America honorees (Jincy Dunne and Kassidy Sauve), a WCHA Rookie of the Year award for Emma Maltais, and 11 All-WCHA Team honorees. The 2018 WCHA Coach of the Year, Muzerall got to the 50-win mark quicker than any coach in team history with a 2-0 win at Minnesota State on December 2, 2018.
Off the ice, Ohio State has 102 WCHA All-Academic Team honorees (nine in 2016-17, 13 in 2017-18, 14 in 2018-19, 16 in 2019-20, 17 in 2020-21, \15 in 2021-22 and 18 in 2022-23). The team earned the Varsity O award for most improved team GPA in 2017-18 and earned the award for best large roster GPA in 2021-22 and 2022-23, fully solidifying the change that Muzerall looked to implement when she took over the squad.
| Season | Record | WCHA Record/Finish | WCHA Tournament | NCAA Tournament |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-17 | 14-18-5 | 7-26-5/5th | First Round | — |
| 2017-18 | 24-11-4 | 14-6-4/2nd | Semifinalist | Frozen Four Semifinals |
| 2018-19 | 20-13-2 | 12-10-2/3rd | Semifinalist | — |
| 2019-20 | 24-8-6 | 13-6-5/3rd | Champions | NCAA First Round |
| 2020-21 | 13-7-0 | 11-5-0/3rd | Finalist | Frozen Four Semifinals |
| 2021-22 | 32-6-0 | 21-6-0/2nd | Champions | National Champion |
| 2022-23 | 33-6-2 | 23-4-1/1st | Finalist | National Runner Up |
| 2023-24 | 35-4-0 | 26-2-0/1st | Finalist | National Champion |
| Totals | 195-73-19 | 127-65-17 |
Muzerall coached Canada’s U22 National Team at the 2017 Nations Cup, and she is no stranger to a Hockey Canada coaching staff. In 2016 she was an assistant coach for a three-game series against the United States that took place in Calgary (during which Canada took two of the three games), and she has served as a camp coach at Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team selection camp. Back in July of 2016 she was named to the coaching staff for Canada’s National Women’s Development Team.
A two-time All-American and national champion as a player at Minnesota, Muzerall spent five years behind the bench as an assistant coach with the Golden Gophers. The first women’s hockey player to be inducted into her university’s hall of fame, she helped guide her former team to four national championships and five-consecutive spots in the title game. During her tenure she coached five Olympians (Mira Jalosuo, Megan Bozek, Amanda Kessel, Anne Schleper, and Lee Stecklein), none of whom had made Olympic rosters prior to Muzerall’s arrival.
While serving as a member of the Golden Gophers staff, Muzerall’s teams accrued a record of 182-14-8, including a perfect 41-0-0 record during the 2012-13 season. 13 Minnesota team records are held by squads the she either coached or played for.
Regarding her playing career, Muzerall was a prolific player for the Golden Gophers. An All-American in 1998 and 2000, she also earned Team MVP honors during those seasons. As a freshman in 1998 and a senior in 2001, she was a Patty Kazmaier Award finalist. She still sits atop the all-time goals scored list with 139 and graduated as the career points leader for Minnesota. She holds the honorable distinction of having won multiple national championships as a player and as a coach as the same institution: 2000 and 2001 as a player, 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2016 as a coach.
Prior to her return to Minneapolis, Muzerall made a couple significant career stops. She spent two seasons playing for Hockey Club Lugano in Switzerland, skating on the first line and leading her team in both points and goals. During her tenure, the team won a Swiss National Championship and advanced to the European Cup, where they won a bronze medal.
She also was a teacher and hockey coach at Northfield Mount Hermon School in Mt. Hermon, Massachusetts, from 2002 to 2009. In addition to serving as the head women’s hockey coach, Muzerall was a physical education teacher. She also has contributed as an instructor to several well-known hockey camps, helping young hockey players across the country.
