Wisconsin women's hockey still getting 'a little bit better'
The top-ranked team in the nation is still working its Olympians back into the fold as it approaches the NCAA Tournament
St. Paul, MN — Head coach Mark Johnson began his postgame press conference after his top-ranked Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team beat the No. 13 Minnesota State Mavericks 7-2 an “overall, pretty good game” for his squad. The muted reaction ironically emphasized just how high expectations are for his team in Madison.
With five Olympians on his roster, Johnson has faced the challenge of not just throwing some of the best player in the world on top of his team, but the task of fully re-integrating them into the fold. Those players returned as the college hockey postseason began, and now UW has a chance to win a third-straight WCHA conference tournament before it seeks back-to-back NCAA Tournament titles.
“Third game that we’ve had with everybody back and it seems that each game we’ve played up to this point it gets a little bit more connected and a little bit better.” Johnson said in a post-game interview. “So, happy with the way it went. Another opportunity to play for a trophy on Saturday, and look forward to the challenge.”
Ultimately, Wisconsin will not be judged at the end of this season based on how it performed against the Mavericks. the measuring stick remains national championships, and that means UW’s focus has turned to its potential WCHA Final Faceoff title game opponents: the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes or No. 4 Minnesota Golden Gophers.
“We got an opportunity to play one more game and then get ready for the NCAA Tournament, because the team’s put themselves in a position to have a right to do that,” added Johnson. “So throw everything at it Saturday afternoon, and if you end up winning that game, you take a trophy back to Madison and feel good about yourself, and wake up Sunday and figure out who you play next.”
Wisconsin women’s hockey battles to score, pours it on in 2nd
On Thursday, Wisconsin again faced an impressive goaltender. After an initial would-be Badgers goal was taken off the board due to UW’s Claire Enright putting the puck into the back of the net with her hand, it appeared the Mavericks might escape the opening frame unscathed.
“It’s that time of season,” Johnson said. “They’re coming off a big weekend series against Duluth. They’re going to come in with a lot of energy, a lot of excitement, a lot of jump in their play. The first six, seven, eight minutes, that’s what you saw. Who could manage pucks, who could take care of it because the corners are tight, the neutral zone’s clogged. So it really emphasizes your puck management.”
A Minnesota State defensive breakdown, however, left WCHA Player of the Year Caroline Harvey and All-WCHA Forward Cassie Hall wide open in the slot. The only thing an undefended Lacey Eden (the WCHA’s regular-season scoring champion) had to do was put a pass in the general area of either of her teammates.
Ultimately, it was Harvey who made a one-deke move to give the Badgers a lead in the closing moments of the first period that they would not surrender.
“Even in the first, we really got going. I mean, obviously we had a bunch of scoring chances, I’d say, a lot of Grade-A scoring chances too, and they just weren’t going in yet,” Badgers forward Kirsten Simms, who contributed a pair of goals and an assist said. “But we just knew if we kept chipping away, that they were gonna come eventually. And then obviously, in the second, we got a few in there.”
UW scored four second-period goals, including a flurry of three in less than four and a half minutes.
Turnovers prove costly for both teams — rink to blame
Whether it was Wisconsin or Minnesota State, both offenses capitalized on turnovers and defensive miscues by opposing defenses. Johnson noted that dimensions of the rink inside Lee & Penny Anderson Arena contributed to the game’s sometimes frantic nature.
“That’s the rink. There’s not much space behind the net. If the puck’s in your defensive zones behind the net, that’s not good for your defensive team,” the winningest coach in the history of NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey noted. “I mean, the offensive team can get it, and within a split second, it’s out in front of the net where you create sporting opportunities of it. So you have to be really conscious of what’s coming. You have to be able to communicate really well. When the puck’s below your goal line, you have to be assertive, attentive, and get the puck out of there as quickly as you can.”
Single-elimination postseason hockey emphasizes the need to minimize those mistakes. Ultimately, the Badgers prevailed on Thursday and put themselves in a position to face one of the nation’s best teams in the WCHA Tournament title game.
“All that stuff’s good for you. The team that moves on—if they get into a situation and get forced turnovers, and Ava [McNaughton] needs to make some saves on outnumbered situations—and if you survive, it’s all opportunities to learn from it and move forward because whoever we play Saturday, there’s going to be a bunch of that going on too.”
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