Wisconsin women's hockey vs. #15 St. Thomas: 5Ws Preview
The Wisconsin Badgers close out their 2025 home slate and will not return to LaBahn Arena for over two months
Madison, WI – Fresh off a win and a frustrating tie against the St. Cloud State Huskies, Wisconsin women’s hockey returns home, playing its last series in Madison for over two months against the No. 15 St. Thomas Tommies. As the Wisconsin Badgers prepare for a rare Thursday-Friday series, head coach Mark Johnson hopes to use the abbreviated week as an opportunity to “get back on the saddle” after a set of imperfect results.
Thus far, the Tommies (8-8-0, 3-7-0 WCHA) have lived up to head coach Bethany Brausen’s “jump year” projection for her team. St. Thomas is in the national rankings for the first time since their transition up from NCAA Division III in 2020. Armed with a few goal scorers and a veteran transfer that can force opposing teams to go the distance, the Tommies have shown an ability to jump up and get a point from some of the top teams in the conference.
Johnson, however, is keeping top-ranked Wisconsin focused on its process in its final home series of 2025. UW returns home on January 24th against the Bemidji State Beavers.
“It’s more about what we’re going to do and what we’re capable of,” the winningest coach in the history of NCAA DI women’s ice hockey said of the upcoming matchup. “Our compete level needs to be high. Again, the recipe for success and winning doesn’t change.”
Who to watch: Goaltender Julia Minotti
After three seasons with the Clarkson Golden Knights, goaltender Julia Minotti left upstate New York and headed west to join the St. Thomas Tommies. Starting 15 of 16 games with her new club, Minotti has twice put the Tommies in position to shake up the WCHA standings.
The graduate student has a pair of 40-save performances against top-ten opponents this season. Against St. Cloud and the Ohio State Buckeyes, Minotti backstopped St. Thomas past regulation, forcing overtime despite opponents having a significant edge in shots on goal. Although the Tommies lost both games, forcing overtime against the Buckeyes is the only reason Ohio State does not sit alone atop the standings. For now, OSU shares that spot with UW.
As impressive as Minotti has been in spots, the Tommies have struggled to add consistent goal support outside of their top contributors. In WCHA play, St. Thomas is averaging just 2.0 goals per game, and only 1.0 at five-on-five. The Tommies scored only 2.03 goals per game a season ago.
What to Watch: Wisconsin women’s hockey and St. Thomas elite power plays
Special teams could provide some fireworks inside LaBahn Arena this weekend. Wisconsin boasts the third-most effective power play in the country, with St. Thomas not far behind at sixth. The two units have been the most prolific among WCHA teams to date, with UW scoring 16 times on the advantage, just edging out UST’s 15 power-play goals.
St. Thomas comes with a well-balanced PP unit. The Tommies are one of only two teams in the country with five players who have scored multiple power-play goals. Defender Ellah House and forward Ilsa Lindaman lead the way with three PPGs.
The difference here could be Wisconsin’s stellar penalty kill. With defensive stalwarts on the blue line like Caroline Harvey and Laney Potter supported by complementary forwards such as Lacey Eden and Marianne Picard, UW’s PK has prevented opponents from scoring over 92% of the time – the fourth-best mark in the country.
Regardless of who is or is not in the penalty box, St. Thomas boasts a few other scoring threats. Junior forwards Madison Brown, Ella Boerger, and Rylee Bartz are the only three players in program history to record 20-point seasons since transitioning up to DI. Each has already eclipsed double-digit scoring, and Bartz’s nine goals are the ninth-most in the country.
Just behind them is sophomore Chloe Boreen. The Somerset, Wisconsin native is up to seven goals already this season after finding the back of the net nine times as a rookie.
Why to watch: WCHA standings, Teddy Toss, and Harvey History
First, Wisconsin has an opportunity to create some separation from Ohio State in the race for the conference title. UW and OSU are currently tied atop the standings. The No. 3 Buckeyes hit the road this weekend to face the No. 5/4 Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs. The Badgers are 17-0 all-time against the Tommies.
Second, for Thursday’s matchup in Madison, fans are encouraged to bring new stuffed animals to participate in the annual Teddy Toss. Before or during the game, bag your stuffed animal at one of the bagging stations inside LaBahn Arena. Then, toss your teddy onto the ice after the game. Wisconsin will donate the stuffed animals to the Bayview Community Center and Neighborhood House to give to children during the holidays.
“It’s really cool that you can see all the fans in the community participate to be able to raise those teddy bears for people who may not have the privilege of having that,” UW forward Kelly Gorbatenko said of the event. “It’s also really cool to just see the fans’ support and the community’s support just pour over the glass.”
Finally, after Kirsten Simms made history last weekend, it will soon be Harvey’s turn. With 161 career points, the Badgers’ captain is seven shy of setting a new WCHA record for most in a career by a defender. Former Minnesota Golden Gophers blue-liner Ronda Curtin currently holds the record set during her tenure from 1993 to 2003. Last weekend against St. Cloud, Harvey set a new UW program record for most goals by a defender with 44.
The last time Harvey recorded seven points in a weekend was last November on the road against the Maine Black Bears.
How to Watch Wisconsin women’s hockey vs. St Thomas Tommies
Where: LaBahn Arena, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Listen: 1070 AM The Game / iHeart Radio (Paul Braun play-by-play, Mark Greenhalgh analyst)
Game 1
When: Thursday, November 20th, 7:00 p.m. Central
Watch: Big Ten Plus
Game 2:
When: Friday, November 21st, 7:00 p.m.
Watch: Big Ten Plus
Wisconsin Badgers injury report
UW had its whole roster available last weekend for the first time since October 11th. That prompted a question to Johnson about what he learned from having a healthy roster, but, before the entire question got out, Johnson interjected, “not sure we’ll be there yet,” prompting some additional digging.
One player was surprisingly absent from Wisconsin’s Tuesday practice…
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