How Wisconsin women's hockey 'B-Squad' captured WCHA title
Wisconsin women's hockey tied the Minnesota Golden Gophers for the most regular-season titles in WCHA history
Madison, WI — A 4-2 victory on Sunday earned Wisconsin women’s hockey not only a series sweep of the St. Cloud State Huskies, but also a championship. No, not a national championship, that winner will not be crowned for another four weeks. But the trophy won by the Wisconsin Badgers this weekend is the one head coach Mark Johnson, the winningest coach in the history of Division I women’s ice hockey, consistently says is the hardest to capture.
“The reason I say it’s the hardest is because it takes the longest,” Johnson said of capturing the WCHA regular-season conference title. “So you play 34 games. We play our 28 league games, and it’s extremely competitive within our league. And so, you know, the team that is at the top at the end has been consistent, more so than maybe some of the other teams.”
Between early-season injuries to some of Wisconsin’s best players and those same players’ late-season hiatus to compete in the Olympics, the Badgers were required to overcome more challenges than usual to capture an 11th league title (tied with the Minnesota Golden Gophers for most in WCHA history).
“I give the players a lot of credit,” Johnson remarked. “They got themselves ready for this last stretch that we were going to be in, and they met the challenge, and they were able to push themselves through it. And at the end, they got rewarded with the trophy, and that sits in our locker room now. So they have a lot to be proud of.”
Wisconsin women’s hockey unlikely contributors
With the reigning National Goaltender of the Year and three first-team All-Americans in Milan, UW’s other 20 players lovingly embraced their role as the ‘B-Squad’ tasked with closing the final four weeks of the regular season in Madison.
“I think that we just kind of came up with something,” Badgers defender Laney Potter said of the moniker. “I don’t really know how it came up, but we kind of just all bought into it, and it kind of just stuck with us.”
In their final, championship-clinching bout together, the depth of UW’s roster that defined the month of February inside LaBahn Arena shone through.
Early in the second period, St. Cloud goaltender Emilia Kyrkkö had already made 21 saves, preventing Wisconsin from building a lead greater than one goal. It was not until rookie defender Mackenzie Jones ripped a wrister from the right point, hitting the top left corner for her first-career goal, that the Badgers managed to put the Huskies on their heels.
“We needed that,” Potter said of the goal that put UW up 2-0. “I think the shots after the first period were over 20, that goalie was kind of standing on her head, so to go up by two, that was great for us.”
Jones’ first-career goal came in a close-out game on the final day of the regular season. Rookie goaltender Rhyah Stewart made 25 saves—her most in a win. Much like they had done over the past four weeks, the Badgers won on Sunday with contributions up and down the line chart.
“The big thing on my mind is that everybody in that locker room this afternoon, at the end, you know, had their part,” Johnson said. “And over those eight games, someone stepped up at a key moment and made a play to help us either win a game or secure a game or do something special. So they all should be proud of their effort and their willingness to play as a team. And you know, whether they call themselves a B-Squad, they became a team within a team, because that’s what we needed for a month.”
Badgers defenders complete impossible task
As difficult as it would be to replace the offensive production from Olympic forwards Kirsten Simms, Laila Edwards, and Adéla Šapovalivová, the difficulty of that task paled in comparison to the difficulty of UW playing eight games without defender Caroline Harvey. While Wisconsin boasts ample secondary offensive firepower with the likes of Lacey Eden, Kelly Gorbatenko, and Cassie Hall, there is simply no replacing the unique talent of Olympic MVP Harvey.
When Harvey left for Milan, she did so as the nation’s second-leading scorer. Wisconsin’s other blue-liners may not have the same speed and offensive acumen as Harvey, but they contributed plenty of scoring in the past few weeks.
Beyond Jones’ goal on Sunday, Potter had a standout weekend. The junior followed up a four-assist performance on Saturday with a goal and an assist on Sunday. Potter has tallied 23 points this season, including nine in UW’s past seven games.
Harvey’s typical defensive partner, Vivian Jungels, has led all Badger defenders in scoring over the past seven games. The Edina, Minnesota, native is up to 21 points on the season (4 goals, 17 assists). Ten of those points have come in Wisconsin’s last seven contests. In that stretch, only Eden (7 goals, 11 assists) has scored more.
Jungels is often the unsung hero of UW’s defense. The senior provides a reliable presence that allows a player with Harvey’s talent to confidently take risks and join the offensive rush.
“Playing beside her is great because when I jump into play, she has my back and vice versa,” Potter, who has spent much of the past few weeks playing alongside Jungels, said.
Although Wisconsin does not often rely on Jungels’ offense, it is not because of her lack of ability. Over the last four weeks, her scoring numbers soared as she stepped into Harvey’s role on the top power-play unit.
“It’s been great to see them really step up into those roles,” Eden said of Potter and Jungels. “They definitely have sparks of that offense that you see in great players. So I think especially on our power play, we’ve been moving in really nicely and getting a whole bunch of opportunities, and eventually a few are going to go in.”
More than a few have been going in. Wisconsin boasts the most effective power-play unit in the country, converting on 34.55% of its opportunities.
Over the past four weeks, the Badgers have outperformed that mark, scoring on 9-of-22 chances (40.91%) on the advantage—keeping in mind that Wisconsin played two-game series against both No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Minnesota in that stretch.
Perhaps this group of 20 deserves better than to be remembered as second fiddle.
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