The emotions of a national championship banner raising ceremony are never predictable. Although Wisconsin women’s hockey is used to the routine, now having captured an NCAA-record nine national titles, even Wisconsin Badgers head coach Mark Johnson admits he was “not sure” what he was going to get on Thursday night against the Boston University Terriers.
“A lot of festivities, a lot of distraction, things like that,” Johnson said after his team’s 7-0 win. “And, overall, you know, again, it’s early in the season, so there’s some things that you like and things that we need to work on.”
Johnson’s maligned “distractions” may have contributed to an imperfect first period, but No. 1 Wisconsin (3-0-0, 0-0-0 WCHA) gathered itself for its second shutout victory of the season.
“It’s just a learning opportunity for everybody,” Johnson said of the performance. “You know, we get to show some video tomorrow and then see what we look like again tomorrow afternoon and keep moving forward.”
Wisconsin women’s hockey overcomes slow start
The Badgers, known year-over-year for their speed for their ability to quickly exit their defensive zone and turn up ice, struggled to do so when early on Thursday. That, along with some extended defensive zone time after an icing call against Wisconsin, left shots on goal knotted at three a piece as UW and BU entered the first media break midway through the first period.
Then, Wisconsin appeared to flip a switch, outshooting Boston University 10-1 the remainder of the period, and entering the first intermission with a 1-0 lead thanks to a one-time goal by sophomore Finley McCarthy.
In that media break Johnson emphasized his team’s need to eliminate neutral zone turnovers and beating the Terriers forecheck. Until that point, the Badgers had struggled to cleanly enter the offensive zone.
“After that, I think it settled down a little bit,” Johnson said. “And then we started to manage the puck a little bit better, especially through the neutral zone. And again, you know, the early part of the second period, then we started to do a lot of positive things.”
Nela Lopušanová shines in long-awaited debut
It was just over two years from Nela Lopušanová’s commitment to the Badgers to her debut wearing the Cardinal and Red inside LaBahn Arena. The heralded prospect made it worth the wait.
A backhand assist on a goal by Lopušanová’s linemate Maggie Scannell was prologue to her pair of goals that followed. The Slovak national team standout tallied her first-career goal in the second period on a one-timer assisted by Scannell. In the third period, Lopušanová showcased her wrist shot, sniping the top corner and the final goal of the night.
“You go back last year, or the previous year and, you can pick out videos of things that she’s able to do and sometimes you just sort of shake your head beacause your comments are like—you know, most kids aren’t able to do those things,” Johnson said.
The talented forward who burst onto the scene at 14-years-old by scoring a “Michigan goal” at the Under-18 World Championships impressed with her patience by taking advantage of a significant amount of time and space in front of the net. Before shooting, Lopušanová gathered the puck to ensure she would hit her mark. It was a veteran-like move that even left Johnson impressed.
“She’ll pull you out of your seats, so keep an eye on her out there,” the winningest coach in the history of women’s collegiate hockey remarked.
3 stars of the game
Third Star: Maggie Scannell
The alternate captain tallied a goal and two assists as her standout line continued to shine.
Second star: Hannah Halverson
The junior forward set a new career-high with three assists and tied her career-high three points.
First star: Nela Lopušanová
The 5-foot-8 winger was the game’s only multi-goal scorer.
This story has been updated to correct the final score.
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