Wisconsin women's hockey plays 'most consistent' game yet
Wisconsin Badgers women's hockey head coach Mark Johnson touted his team's effort from "start to finish" on Saturday
On Friday, Wisconsin women’s hockey head coach Mark Johnson wanted his team to get off to a fast start and take advantage of the excitement in his team’s home arena after raising a national championship banner to the rafters. That hot start did not unfold, leaving the Wisconsin Badgers in a scoreless tie with the Maine Black Bears at the end of the first period.
In Saturday’s series finale, the Badgers started fast and kept their foot on the gas for sixty minutes en route to another 5-0 victory. While the final score was the same each of the past two days, there was a noticeable difference in Wisconsin’s quality of play.
“If you look at yesterday’s first period versus today’s, there’s a big difference,” Johnson said in a post-game interview. “We played much better today, created a lot of different opportunities.”
Wisconsin dictated the pace of play for sixty minutes with a relentless forecheck. Maine tallied only two shots on goal in the first period, and mustered only 16 in the game - nine fewer than the night prior.
“I like the way we played,” Johnson said. “Through four games, this was the most consistent one start to finish. The effort was there. We were hard on pucks. We did a lot of good little things.”
Caroline Harvey the difference-maker after 20 minutes
Wisconsin forced Maine goaltender Kiia Lahtinen to make eight saves in the first six minutes of play. Several of those shots came on the rush. Forward Kelly Gorbatenko had a pair of chances, and the trio of Lacey Eden, Adéla Šapovalivová, and Kirsten Simms came within inches of a goal.
“The major emphasis is on getting off to a good start,” Johnson reiterated. “To create as many opportunities as you could early in the game to see if we can get a couple of goals. So, we ended up getting one eight or nine minutes into the first period.”
Caroline Harvey was who “ended up getting one” for UW.
Beginning with the puck behind the Badger blue line, Wisconsin’s captain accelerated up the right side. As Harvey carried the puck into the offensive zone, she muscled her way through Maine forward Isabelle Michaud and defender Sade Sandilands. Harvey managed to maintain control of the puck through that contact and fire a wrist shot from the slot past Lahtinen for the defender’s first goal of the season.
It was a prime example of Harvey showcasing exactly “what she’s capable of doing,” Johnson said. “It’s an individual effort, and making a shot. Creating something that a lot of people can’t create.”
Laney Potter finishes impact weekend, scoring twice
Laney Potter made her presence felt throughout the weekend. After the defender peppered the net with seven shots on Friday, she followed up with another five on Saturday. Potter twice found the back of the net in the series finale for her first goals of the season.
Laila Edwards, who spent much of the weekend playing alongside Potter on defense, said Potter is “just incredible. I think very underrated. She moves very well. She’s really skilled offensively, but she’s shut down defensively.”
Potter has not always showcased her ability to score, but appears to have emphasized it early in her junior season. Through her first two seasons, Potter scored a total of seven goals. If her 12 shots on goal this weekend are any indicator, Potter will quickly surpass the 61 she recorded as a sophomore.
Potter and Edwards combined to score four goals on the weekend, highlighting a duo that Potter says she “would like to think [is] a little intimidating” as two of the tallest players on the ice any given night. Potter is listed at 5-foot-11 and Edwards at 6-foot.
With goals by Edwards, Potter, Harvey, and another from Vivian Jungels on Friday, Wisconsin women’s hockey defenders outscored the forwards 6-4 on the weekend, something Johnson has taken notice of.
“Our entire defensive crew’s got off to a good start with a lot of production coming from the blue line,” the reigning national coach of the year said. “Which, that adds to our game throughout the season, you know, makes it much more difficult to defend us.”
