The Wisconsin women's hockey team heads to northern Minnesota this weekend to face the No. 4 UMD Bulldogs in a series that will be the toughest to date for the Badger women.
The undefeated Bulldogs are fresh off a series sweep of Bemidji State and look to keep their perfect season alive in the WCHA. The Badgers are riding high after a Halloween weekend sweep of St. Cloud State, but they have yet to face competition as stiff as the Bulldogs.
"It's going to be a good test for us to see where we're at and how we respond on the road against a top four team," said coach Mark Johnson.
The Bulldogs present a myriad of different problems for the Badgers to overcome this weekend.
Begin with goaltending: UMD boasts the second best goaltender in the WCHA in Riitta Schaublin, who was recently named the WCHA's Defensive Player of the Week. She has only given up two goals this season and has a save percentage of 97.5.
The last time the Badgers ran into that kind of a wall in net was when Ohio State's Melissa Glaser and Erika Vanderveer held the potent Badger offense to only three goals in two games.
"It's a challenge that our team's going to have to respond to," said Johnson. "We've worked hard to this point and we've had a good week of practice."
The Badgers have a couple of stellar goaltenders in their pockets, too — junior Meghan Horras and sophomore Christine Dufour. While alternating games all season, the two netminders have given up only three goals apiece on their way to save percentages of .951 and .962, respectively. Combined, they make one of the best goalie tandems in the WCHA, allowing the rest of the players in front of them room to move.
"Anytime your goalie is playing well is gives you confidence and allows you to play a more aggressive game," said senior captain and defender Carla MacLeod. "When you know they're going to stop the puck, you play a little more confidently and it benefits the whole team."
The goalies will have to play well against the Bulldog's high-powered attack, led by junior forward Caroline Ouellette. Ouellette is tied for third in the WCHA in points with 20 on the season. She is a big forward that is tough push around and is an expert at getting her teammates the puck at the most opportune times, as her 11 assists attest to. "Obviously when Ouellette's out on the ice, we're going to be aware of it," said MacLeod. "She's a great hockey player — probably one of the best in the world — it's definitely something that doesn't go unnoticed when she's out there."
Despite UMD's scoring threat, the Badgers are a higher-scoring team than the Bulldogs, averaging a goal more per game than the five goals UMD has averaged all season. Wisconsin has also given up fewer goals per game than the Bulldog defense; averaging 0.88 goals per game for opponents compared to the one goal per game the Bulldogs' defense has surrendered.
With this in mind, the Badgers have reason to be optimistic going into the weekend, as they are firing on all cylinders while they prepare for the nation's fourth-ranked team. Wisconsin has yet to give up more than three goals in a game, their special teams continue to dominate, they have two of the best goalies in the conference and they have one of the best scoring lines in the nation in forwards Lindsay Macy, Sara Bauer and Sharon Cole, who are all in the top-10 in scoring in the WCHA. But the Badgers have yet to be truly tested, and that test will come against the Bulldogs.
"After the weekend, we're going to know much more about our hockey club," said Johnson of the matchup.
