Just days after making history on the global stage, Laila Edwards proved she still has plenty of magic left for the collegiate postseason. The junior forward, who recently returned from the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina with a gold medal, buried the game-winning goal in overtime Saturday to lift the No. 1 University of Wisconsin women’s hockey team to a 2-1 victory over Bemidji State.

The win secures the Badgers’ spot in the WCHA Final Faceoff, which is scheduled to take place March 5-7 at the Lee & Penny Anderson Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota.

For Edwards, the moment served as a triumphant homecoming. During the February Olympic break, she became the first Black woman to compete for and win gold with Team USA’s hockey program, even assisting on the game-tying goal in the gold-medal final against Canada. Transitioning back to the collegiate grind, she wasted little time making an impact. Only one minute into the five-on-five, sudden-death overtime period, Edwards found open ice and fired a shot past the Bemidji State goaltender to end the series.

The road to the overtime winner was far from simple for the Badgers (31-3-2). After a scoreless first period, the Beavers took an unexpected lead 33 minutes into the contest by drawing Wisconsin goaltender Ava McNaughton out of position. Wisconsin responded quickly, with sophomore Maggie Scannell redirecting a shot from Ava Murphy just two minutes later to tie the game.

Wisconsin appeared ready to close out the game in regulation, but the Beavers pulled their goaltender for an extra attacker and found the equalizer with only 25 seconds remaining in the third period. The late surge forced the extra session, setting the stage for Edwards’ heroics.

Despite the close score, the Badgers dominated the stat sheet, outshooting the Beavers 46-12. The program now boasts an 18-game winning streak in WCHA Tournament home games and moves one step closer to another trophy.

Wisconsin will open the semifinal round in St. Paul on Thursday, March 5.