A routine trouncing of the Minnesota State Mavericks turned worrisome for the No. 3 Wisconsin Badgers this Friday when midway into the third period, Badgers’ senior captain Blayre Turnbull fell hard into the boards.

While Minnesota State sustained one of its few offensive zone attacks and cycled the puck in the Badgers’ zone, Turnbull and another Badgers forward chased after the puck as it was passed across the blue-line near the point. The first Badgers skater missed her check when the Minnesota State player receiving the puck deked around her and again around a charging Turnbull. The initial deke caused the first Badgers skater to fall to the ice, and Turnbull had no time to stop as she tripped over her and flew into the boards.

From initial observation, it looked as if Turnbull had fallen shoulder first into the boards.

Turnbull eventually skated off on her own after a few minutes under care but went directly back to the locker room and stayed for the remainder of the game. No update was given on her condition after the game.

As captain, Turnbull has led the Badgers to an 11-2-1 overall record, including a 9-2-1 mark in the WCHA, while picking up four goals, 10 assists and 14 points in the process. If her injury keeps her from playing for an extended period of time, her on-ice presence will be quite missed. However, the Badgers have an added depth not seen in past years and it was evident the series, as seven players tallied goals Friday and six scored goals Thursday.

In Thursday night’s game, the Badgers pummeled Minnesota State en route to an 8-2 win. In the rout, they set a school record for shots in a period, tallying 32 in the first. Wisconsin jumped out to an early 3-1 lead after freshman Lauren Williams started the scoring off a Turnbull assist, opening the floodgates for an offensive onslaught that would continue the rest of the night.

The Badgers controlled the puck for most of the game, using their speed to get around Minnesota State’s skaters with ease.

The tactic paid dividends for head coach Mark Johnson’s team as they would go on to record 68 shots. Minnesota State’s players were unable to defend against Wisconsin’s speed and became evidently tired midway through the second period, enabling Wisconsin to run up the score.

Friday’s game was much of the same for the Badgers, but there was more defensive play to speak of. Wisconsin won with ease by a score of 8-0, in which they again recorded a high number of shots with 44.

The Badgers weren’t as aggressive, but still showed glimpses of the speed and intensity shown Thursday night. Instead, the Badgers shifted back to the game plan they have been using all year, where they look for deflections and tip-ins, crashing the net and setting screens. Just like Thursday, the Badgers successfully executed on their plan in an almost identical fashion. But Friday’s game took a turn towards the chippy side, as Minnesota State began to execute more checks and increased their physical play.

The Mavericks resorted to the increased physical play to combat the Badgers’ speed, leading to six power-plays for Wisconsin. Two of these were capitalized on by goals from junior Courtney Burke and sophomore Sydney McKibbon.

“You take control of the game,” Johnson said. “Sometimes you can create energy from a power-play even when you don’t score. But having the lead go from one to three because of the two power-plays … is pretty exciting if you’re on our side of the bench.”

With the momentum from two wins against Minnesota State, the Badgers will look to continue their success when they travel to St. Cloud State this coming weekend.