SPORTS
UW wraps up home slate
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by Greg Schmitz
Friday, February 15, 2008
After splitting its series last weekend with WCHA-leading Minnesota-Duluth, the No. 5 University of Wisconsin women’s hockey team (21-7-2, 15-5-2 WCHA) can no longer win the WCHA regular season title outright.
The Badgers enter the weekend eight points behind the Bulldogs, but with UMD idle this weekend, UW can keep the pressure on by sweeping last-place Bemidji State (4-23-3, 1-21-2) and picking up four points.
“Obviously some things we can control on our end, and that is try and win the last four games,” UW head coach Mark Johnson said. “Who knows what is going to happen, but the objective is to continue to win, continue to build momentum.”
This weekend will also be the Badgers’ final regular-season home series of the year, with Friday’s game at the Kohl Center and Saturday’s contest being played at the Eagle’s Nest in Verona. Despite it being senior weekend, Wisconsin is focused on its ultimate goal of winning a third-straight NCAA championship.
“We are just thinking about one game at a time and how we are going to pull our way back to win the WCHA tournament and the NCAA tournament,” senior Jinelle Zaugg said.”
Wisconsin and Bemidji State enter this weekend series on two different notes. The Beavers have had a down year and enter the weekend on a seven-game losing streak in which they have been outscored 29-7. The Badgers, despite losing last Saturday, have been gaining momentum during the second half of the season. UW has won 11 out of their last 12 games and have outscored their opponents 45-16 during that span.
Despite Bemidji State’s place in the standings, the Badgers know that the Beavers are not going to lie down for them because they are in a title chase.
“Any team’s a threat on any given day,” Zaugg said. “We need to play our best no matter what team we are playing.”
The last time these two teams faced each other back in November, it was a tale of two games for Wisconsin. In the opener, the Badgers jumped on the Beavers early, scoring a goal less than a minute into the game and cruising to a 7-0 victory.
However, in the second contest, UW was unable to find the back of the net as the two teams skated to the first 0-0 tie in school history. BSU goaltender Emily Brookshaw stopped 50 shots and gave the Badgers fits all night.
“[Brookshaw’s] capable of doing that,” Johnson said. “She’s done that throughout her career. She’s a senior, and she certainly wants to go out on a blaze of glory.”
Despite her 50-save performance last time, Brookshaw is giving up 2.68 goals per game on the season.
“Brookshaw is a great goalie,” Zaugg said. “She comes up big, but if you score on her early she kind of shuts down.”
If Wisconsin is able to start another winning streak this weekend, they know they have to take advantage of every scoring opportunity they get.
“What you have to do on the offensive end — you have to play hungry,” Johnson said. “The opportunities that you get early in the game, you have to make the most of the them and try and capitalize on them instead of waiting until the middle or latter part of the third period when things become a little more challenging and difficult when the game is tied.”
Regardless if the Badgers are able to come back and tie Minnesota-Duluth for the WCHA regular-season title or not, they want to make sure they enter the postseason with momentum for another run at a national championship.
“The objective is to get into the NCAA tournament and take a run at the national championship,” Johnson said. “To be playing your best hockey toward the end of the season, that is the most important thing to do.”
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