Wisconsin’s weekend sweep over the Golden Gophers could not have been any more improbable.

Heading into the series, the Badgers (3-3) were not only facing an undefeated Gopher team but they were going against a squad that had not trailed in a game the entire season.

On the stat sheet, Sunday’s game looked like Minnesota dominated, as the Gophers outshot Wisconsin 40-15, had fewer penalties and dominated the time of possession. What the Badgers lacked in chances they made up for in execution, as they scored three goals on their first five shots en route to the 5-2 win.

Slow starts had given the Badgers deficits in five of their seven previous games, and Sunday was no exception. Despite a Mallory Deluce goal eight minutes into the game, Wisconsin soon found itself in a hole when Minnesota scored two goals in less than two minutes.

UM’s Sarah Erickson had the first power-play goal against Wisconsin all season when her slap shot from the right faceoff circle found its way past Badger goaltender Becca Ruegsegger. With six minutes left in the first period and still on the attack, Minnesota put in a shot from just feet away after the Badger defense was unable to clear the puck.

Brooke Ammerman, who emerged as a major scoring threat for Wisconsin last season, quickly responded for the Badgers with a put-back goal of her own. The Gophers could not clear from deep in their own zone and Ammerman’s backhander from left of the goal beat Minnesota goaltender Alyssa Grogan.

“I thought Brooke had an excellent game,” UW head coach Tracey DeKeyser said. “Not just in contributing offensively but she played great defense.”

The offensive onslaught continued when Kelly Nash scored with just 31 seconds remaining in the first period. Skating along the boards, Nash’s centering pass found its way through the defense and off of a skate for the goal.

“The fact that we’re finally scoring more than one or two goals is huge,” DeKeyser said. “From a mental standpoint, we got to feel good about what we’re able to do.”

Ammerman and Malee Windmeier gave Wisconsin some insurance goals in the second and third periods. Drifting from behind the net toward the center of the Minnesota zone, Ammerman nailed a backhand to give Wisconsin its fourth goal on eight shots. Windmeirer’s shot midway through the third period was the last shot the Badgers took in the game, but Windmeier made it count, as her clearing pass from center ice took a funny bounce and landed just inside of the right post.

With no shots in the last 10 minutes of the game, Wisconsin needed strong goaltending by freshman Becca Ruegsegger and she delivered, stopping nearly 30 consecutive shots to end the game.

“The goaltending by Becca was just phenomenal,” DeKeyser said. “She’s proved herself — that she has the ability to be the number one goalie.”

Friday’s game was equally successful, as Wisconsin skated to a 4-2 win. Needing yet another comeback, Wisconsin received some timely goals from their key players.

Down 2-0, senior Jasmine Giles pulled the Badgers even when she scored at 7:12 in the first period.

“Jasmine Giles was our leader today and it really showed,” DeKeyser said. “She really initiated the play almost every time she was out there.”

With the game tied at two goals apiece with eight seconds left in the second period, DeKeyser’s decision to put Ammerman back out on the ice with a different line paid huge dividends. Ammerman took the puck from a faceoff and skated toward the right post. After pulling the puck into an easier angle, Ammerman slid the goal in the net with 2.6 seconds remaining.

“That was a huge goal,” DeKeyser said. “We had a quick line change there and it worked out. It was nice that we capitalized on that.”

According to Ammerman, Friday’s game was the best the team had played the entire season.

“We played a full 60 minutes,” Ammerman said. “Everything was just clicking, and hopefully we can just continue that throughout the season.”

Deluce put the game away with her third-period wrist shot. Although play continued for nearly two minutes as neither team was sure if the puck crossed the red line, a review eventually confirmed the goal. More importantly, it put the game against the undefeated Gophers out of reach. According to Giles, the weekend series was a matter of respect for the squad.

“We kind of came into this series with something to prove,” Giles said. “We haven’t had the best start, but people throughout the nation are going to know, ‘Hey, we’re still No. 1.'”