Badgers roll past Beavers
By Joe Agoada, Sports Writer
Early frustration could not keep senior Sis Paulsen and freshman Nikki Burish from helping lead UW to a hard-fought 5-3 win over Bemidji State. Both collected a goal and an assist in the Badger win.
The first period was marked by domination but first frustration for the Badgers. Despite out-shooting the Beavers 22-8, the Badgers could not get the puck past Beaver goalie Anik Cote, who ended the game with 30 saves. The shot advantage for the Badgers was produced by a controlling defense that kept the puck in Beaver territory for most of the game.
Cote, like a brick wall, stopped shot after shot from the Badger attack. However, it seemed inevitable that Wisconsin would score. The pressure paid off: With 8:07 left in the second period, freshman Stephanie Boeckman, playing in her first game since Nov. 9, broke through the Beaver defense and put a hard shot on Cote.
Cote made the save, but UW junior Steph Milar was right there to put the rebound into the net. It was at this point that the Beaver offense started to turn up the heat, getting some good looks at the Badger net, but most often failing to succeed at getting the puck past Badger goalie senior Jackie MacMillan, who ended the game with 18 saves.
With momentum starting to shift toward the Beavers, the Badgers were able to quiet the Beavers with a huge power-play goal.
Sixteen minutes into the second quarter, Caesare Stimson of Bemidji State picked up an interference penalty. Wisconsin took quick advantage of the power play when senior Kerry Weiland took a nice pass from Paulsen. Weiland got off a screeching slap shot that was deflected into the goal by senior Kathy Deveraux for her third goal of the year.
Wisconsin used this momentum swing to its advantage when Burish made a nifty move past the defense and put the puck top shelf off her backhand to give the Badgers a 3-0 lead.
While the Beavers could have just quit, Bemidji State’s Amber Frylund finally slipped the puck by MacMillan less then two minutes into the final period, making the score 3-1.
Wisconsin just would not let the Beavers back into the game, however, and killed a power play that came right after Bemidji State’s first goal.
Paulsen answered the BSU goal with a perfectly placed slap shot that Cote could not get her pads on. Paulsen’s fourth goal of the year came 5:20 into the third, unassisted.
The Badgers seemed to put the game out of reach 11:42 into the third with a power-play goal by sophomore Molly Engstrom assisted by sophomore Nicole Uliasz and junior Karen Rickard. With a 5-1 score, there seemed to be little hope for the Beavers.
Bemidji State did not give up however, adding goals from Lill Raynard and Sarah Zuelke late in the third.
However, it was too little too late for the Beavers, as UW coasted to a 5-3 victory.
The Badgers completed the series sweep Sunday with a 5-1 victory, led once again by Paulsen. The senior captain scored two goals and tallied an assist on a third to pace the Badgers in its blowout victory.
Kendra Antony and Amy Vermeulen both contributed to the win with an assist and a goal, while Macmillan stopped 16 Beaver shots from going into the Badger net.
Wisconsin (16-6-5, 9-5-4 WCHA) clinched a spot in the 2003 Women’s final five with its sweep last weekend, and the team needs just three more points to clinch a third-place regular-season finish for the fourth consecutive season.
