Wisconsin women’s hockey team is heading to Duluth, Minn. this weekend to participate in the Final Face-off for the WCHA playoffs. UW will play Minnesota on Saturday, and they will face the winner of Minnesota-Duluth versus St. Cloud State on Sunday if successful.

“It’s going to be a fun weekend,” head coach Mark Johnson said. “Just from the standpoint that obviously the stakes are high — the winning team gets an automatic bid on Sunday to go to the tournament. We just played Minnesota two weekends ago. St. Cloud was at Duluth two weekends ago. So the teams are familiar with each other.”

The Badgers — who went 2-1-1 this season against Minnesota — are excited to play in one of their fiercest and most competitive rivalries.

“Our matchup against Minnesota, very comparable teams, both have good scorers, both have good goaltenders, statistic-wise, it’s very close,” Johnson said. “We finished one point apart in the season standings. So it’ll be a very entertaining, exciting afternoon for the people that’ll be up at the DECC watching the games.”

Morris and Lawler hold the team together

Senior defenseman Emily Morris has won two WCHA titles and two NCAA Championships, but more importantly, she has won the respect of her coaches and teammates. Named captain at the beginning of the season, Morris has thrived in her leadership role, both on and off the ice.

“My captain, Emily Morris, has a real good feel for the game,” Johnson said. “Her background, having her dad coach, still coaching, has a hockey mind and can get a real sense of what’s going on, what buttons to push, what people to talk to. If I need something done, I’ll go through her, and she seems very stable.”

Junior forward Erika Lawler — the team leader in assists with 26 — is one of the most noticeable players on the team, and she has produced in big spots for the Badgers all season.

“Well, it’s funny — when I go to my daughter’s games, I always sort of use the phrase, ‘Now go play like Erika, be Erika Lawler out there,’ just because she’s tenacious,” Johnson said. “She’ll go after the puck. And like I mentioned, she’s very competitive and just a lot of fun to watch. And certainly from a coaching standpoint, when you can put her on the ice, whether it be a power play, killing a penalty, trying to win a face-off at the end of a period, she does a lot of things that as a coach you’re very proud of and certainly are grateful that she’s part of your group.”

Lawler — listed generously at 5 feet — is often noticed because of her height but remembered because of her game.

“I think on the ice, Erika Lawler has been really the go-to player,” Johnson said. “Bo [Ryan] mentioned about Mike [Michael Flowers], in practice and games. We start in September until now. She [Erika] comes to the rink every day, plays hard, competes hard. When you watch us play, she’ll be the first person you notice. She’s 5-foot-nothing, but yet she’s got a gigantic heart, (is) very competitive and likes to win.”