In her final game of college hockey, Jenn Gardiner skated off a champion once again.
For the second time in three seasons, the Surrey-raised forward won a national title with Ohio State Buckeyes on Sunday (March 24) after a 1-0 win over Wisconsin Badgers at the Whittemore Center in Durham, N.H.
Captain of the Buckeyes, Gardiner has played at Ohio State since her freshman year in 2019. She graduated last May with a bachelor’s in sport industry and now pursuing a master’s in sport management, according to a bio posted on ohiostatebuckeyes.com.
“Ohio State has brought me a sisterhood and a family that I will have for the rest of my life,” she says in a two-minute video posted to social media last Friday.
“Ohio State has brought me a sisterhood and a family that I will have for the rest of my life.” - @jenngardiner12 🌰🏒#WFrozenFour x @OhioStateWHKY pic.twitter.com/PaBcRbye9U
— NCAA Ice Hockey (@NCAAIceHockey) March 22, 2024
RAISE THAT TROPHY 🏆🌰#WFrozenFour x @OhioStateWHKY pic.twitter.com/MHFxTWpXEY
— NCAA Ice Hockey (@NCAAIceHockey) March 24, 2024
Sunday’s win capped an amazing 35-4-0 season for Ohio State, who set a school record for victories and were the top team in the nation for most of the year.
Last December, Gardiner realized a dream when she played for Canada’s women’s national team for the first time, in a pair of Rivalry Series games against the U.S. team.
• READ MORE: ‘Super exciting’ time for Surrey’s Gardiner, picked for Team Canada debut vs. U.S.
Prior to her time at Ohio State, Gardiner attended Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary, played three all-star seasons for Greater Vancouver Comets, was a three-time provincial champion and won gold in 2019 at the IIHF U18 Women’s Worlds tournament.