Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

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Women’s hockey looks to finish chances in weekend matchup against North Dakota

Following a sweep of Bemidji State, the Wisconsin women’s hockey team is looking to build its case for the No. 1 ranking against North Dakota this weekend. In a two-game away series, the Badgers will take the ice, with hopes to continue their recent success.

Last week, the Badgers won two one-goal games after nearly doubling their opponent’s shot total in each game. The focus this week is finishing those chances.

“We didn’t have good habits in those games, so in the first two days of practice this week, we’ve been harping on, doing the little things right and getting back on track,” leading goal-scorer, redshirt senior forward Brittany Ammerman, said.

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Ammerman, who’s been off to a hot start (six goals, five assists and 11 points through 10 games), is finding the back of the net with ease and playing with a confidence only seen among the most skilled of players. The Badgers will be looking to feed her the puck and give her good chances when they roll into North Dakota.

Despite North Dakota possessing a large defensive unit, the Badgers will continue their system of creating screens and deflections in front of the net. That deviates from the usual style of playing near the boards when facing a larger team. The Badgers’ system has worked very well for the team so far, as they’ve outscored opponents 38-14 through 10 games with Ammerman leading the charge.

“The hunger will be increased this weekend with a weekend off next week,” Ammerman said. “I work hard to get in the position I am … and we’ll be chipping the puck by them and trying to make them turn. [In the crease] we’ll be looking to be our usual pesky selves and hopefully draw some penalties in the process.”

After opening the scoring in Saturday’s 4-3 win over Bemidji State, look for Ammerman to continue to roll past North Dakota this weekend.

On the defensive side, sophomore goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens has been a force to be reckoned with between the pipes. With three shutouts through only 10 games, Desbiens has been sharp, posting a 1.61 GAA and allowing 13 goals. Paired with a large youth contingent on defense, Desbiens and the defenseman in front of her have meshed the more they play with each other.

“I think it’s nice to have a younger core so we can play with each other for a longer period of time,” Desbiens said. “We still have a couple of years together, so it’s nice to build this confidence with each other and improve it.”

That confidence has led the Badgers to an 8-2-0 record and No. 2 ranking in the USA Today poll. As Desbiens and her teammates continue to play together, she feels they can only improve upon what they’ve done so far and that what the Badgers have in store for the future is very exciting.

“I learned a lot from last weekend, so every single game I get ready the same way no matter who we play,” Desbiens said. “It was a great learning opportunity.”

With both the offense and defense playing and practicing confidently, there is excitement that the Badgers will elevate their already superb play. The team skated both Monday and Tuesday, where they practiced shooting and passing drills, prepping to deliver an offensive onslaught against No. 10-ranked and 4-4-0 North Dakota.

The added depth this year has head coach Mark Johnson pleased and confident about the Badgers’ chances this weekend and going forward in the season. He said the experience some bench players had already gained when the team was missing some key players in its first few series was valuable.

“It’ll be a good challenge and an opportunity for some other kids to get some ice-time,” Johnson said. “We have some depth this year … so we have capable people to come in and fill those minutes. We’ll give a couple of players an opportunity, and hopefully they come out and take advantage of it.”

With the 2014-2015 season starting to kick into gear, the Badgers are looking to build a head of steam and push on against some tough upcoming opponents in a long away streak. Their next four series include North Dakota this weekend away, Minnesota State at home, St. Cloud State away and New Hampshire away.

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