Sports

Top-ranked Badger hockey takes on Wildcats

Since the beginning of the 2005 season, no two women’s college hockey teams have had more success than the Wisconsin Badgers and the New Hampshire Wildcats, who will face each other this weekend. UW leads all programs in the country with 81 wins since 2005 and an .894 winning percentage, while UNH follows closely behind with 70 wins and an .859 winning percentage.

For head coach Mark Johnson’s squad, having last weekend off has inspired them to prepare even more for the upcoming series.

"The toughest thing for us is going to be the adjustment back to game form," Johnson said. "UNH didn't have a weekend off. They've played some games and they've competed, so we'll need to get up to speed real fast."

With one of the most well-rounded teams in the country, Wisconsin (9-2-1, 5-2-1 WCHA) has shown that it once again belongs back in the picture for the national championship. A pair of wins over UNH (9-2-0, 7-0-0) would cement their reputation as the team to beat for the rest of the season and undoubtedly lead to unanimous No. 1 rankings in the national polls.

Despite jumping the Wildcats in the rankings and reclaiming the top stop in the polls, the Badgers aren’t paying much attention to where they rank.

"I think it's going to be a huge game this weekend," junior Angela Keseley said. UNH "is ranked No. 1, and we're in the top five somewhere."

Keseley still hasn’t forgotten the last meeting between Wisconsin and New Hampshire, which UNH won.

"We played them two years ago and lost, so we are still a little down about that," Keseley said. "But if we go out there and play our game, I think we'll be successful."

A win against the Wildcats would be a first in Badger history. In the five times the two schools have faced off, UW has gone winless with a 0-4-1 record, with the last contest in November of 2005 ending in a loss.

"We don't get a chance to play each other very often," Johnson said. "It's still the first half of the season, so it will be a good test for both clubs to measure themselves against another quality opponent and a good program."

The Badgers will once again rely on the services of four of its most talented players, as junior goalie Jesse Vetter, junior forward Erika Lawler, senior forward Jinelle Zaugg, and sophomore forward Meghan Duggan are all back from their stint with the U-22 national team at the Four Nations Cup in Sweden, where USA finished second to Canada.

Vetter was impressive in net for team USA, stopping all 24 shots she faced in a 4-0 victory over host Sweden. She also stopped 22 of 23 shots in the finals against Canada.

Lawler and Duggan also earned points for the national team, with Lawler scoring two goals and Duggan picking up an assist in the team’s 6-3 loss to Canada.

"I'm sure all the girls will be tired for a couple of days, but once they get back to Madison … I expect them to be ready to go when we drop the puck on Saturday," Johnson said.