Needing a late goal to avoid a sweep at the hands of fourth-ranked Minnesota-Duluth over the weekend, Wisconsin junior Carla MacLeod delivered.
Making big plays at big times is the sign of a true leader, and MacLeod, the Badgers’ captain, has emerged as a great leader for UW this season. The goal which helped keep Wisconsin in the hunt for the fourth and final spot in this year’s Frozen Four was the biggest play of the year thus far for the Badgers.
Voted captain at the beginning of the season by her teammates, MacLeod has assumed the leadership role vacated by last season’s large graduating class. MacLeod is trying to replace one of the program’s cornerstone players, Sis Paulsen, who wore the captain’s C on her sweater for the past three years.
“Sis was a real trailblazer here, and I’m just fortunate to be next in line,” MacLeod said of following in the footsteps of Paulsen. “She set the bar pretty high, and I’m hoping to be able to get over it.”
Despite coming through with a big goal over the weekend, MacLeod’s two goals this season show that she is not the Badger’s main offensive threat. As a top-notch defenseman, goal scoring never has been that important. However, helping the Badger defense hold their opponents to just 1.4 goals a game on 16 shots is what MacLeod takes pride in. A strong defense starts with a strong leader, and MacLeod knows that defense is what helps this team win games.
“We really understand that if the other team doesn’t score, our chances of winning are that much better,” MacLeod said of the team’s stingy defense. “Winning is what this is ultimately all about.”
With a group of eight new players on the team this year, the captain’s position is vitally important. MacLeod, along with the coaching staff, has the charge of shaping the freshmen into great players.
“When you get on the ice with [MacLeod], you are always going to be learning,” said freshman Bobbi-Jo Slusar, one of the talented young defensemen for the Badgers. “She makes every drill a challenge; she’s always trying to make you better.”
Slusar also had the opportunity to play alongside MacLeod with the Canadian U-22 squad.
Head coach Mark Johnson knows that he has a great teacher leading this club. “[MacLeod] is like having another coach on the ice,” he said. “She can do things on the ice and in the locker room that we as a coaching staff can’t, because she’s around the other players all the time.”
Great leaders are born, but gaining loads of experience along the way certainly does not hurt. Having played for the Canadian U-22 squad for the past five seasons, including a stint as the team’s captain this past year, MacLeod has gained a wealth of experience playing at the international level. This fall, she has also had the opportunity to travel with the Canadian senior squad to the Four Nations Cup that could ultimately lead to her being selected as a regular member of the senior squad.
“Any time you get to play for the national team, it’s a dream come true,” MacLeod said of her experience. “It’s been great for me. I’ve really been improving with that program.”
Despite the schedule conflicts that have taken MacLeod away from the Badgers from time to time throughout the season, coach Johnson thinks that the experience is well worth the missed time.
“It doesn’t happen to a lot of players, so when one of our players is selected, we’re real excited for them,” he said.
Johnson pointed out that the time missed from class was the biggest negative involved in playing with the national team, but said, “Carla’s been able to manage [making up missed class time] very well.”
The true sign of a great leader is winning, and the Badgers are doing just that. With their eyes set on a shot at the NCAA Frozen Four, Wisconsin is hoping that MacLeod can lead them there.
