The Wisconsin women’s hockey team entered the 2003-04 season with high expectations, but also a lot of questions. Most of the questions revolved around the eight members of the freshman class that would have to fill the void left by the departure of five of the top six players in the team’s short history. The answers that the freshmen have provided thus far in the season have put Wisconsin in position to earn a first-ever bid to the NCAA Frozen Four.

“From day one we knew [the freshmen] were going to be a special group,” senior assistant captain Meghan Hunter said. “The pace has been quicker than last year, and we lost some key players last year.”

Two of the key freshman additions have been a pair of defensemen, Kristen Witting and Bobbi-Jo Slusar, who have had to replace two of the top players in the nation a year ago in Sis Paulson and Kerry Weiland. Both Slusar and Witting have played exceptional hockey, as they have been instrumental in holding Wisconsin’s opponents to just 18 shots per game. With junior captain Carla MacLeod missing significant time during the season to participate with the Canadian national team, the Badgers have had to rely on the two freshmen to play beyond their years.

“[Slusar and Witting] had some big shoes to fill, when you lose Sis and Kerry, two of the top college players,” UW head coach Mark Johnson said of his defensive duo. “We threw them in the fire right away, and they’ve done very well.”

Johnson noted both players’ hard work and dedication to improving their individual games as reasons for their instant success, but pointed out that they had lots of room to grow as players.

“I’ve got to come out and play and do what I can do,” Slusar said. “We may be freshmen, but we have a big role to play on this team.

While the Badger defense has kept their opponents’ shots to a minimum, someone had to stop the few shots that did make it on net. Another question for the team going into the season was who would fill that role. Again, the talented group of freshmen provided an answer in the form of Christine Dufour.

Replacing Jackie MacMillan, the only goalie to ever see significant minutes for Wisconsin, cannot be easy, and although she has had to split time in the net with sophomore Meghan Horras, Dufour has made the most out of her opportunities. Her miniscule 1.67 goals against average and .907 save percentage far exceed the expectations most teams would have of a freshman goalie.

Coach Johnson has not hesitated to put Dufour between the pipes against the best competition Wisconsin has faced, and with wins against Minnesota-Duluth and Ohio St., and a performance worthy of a win against then top-ranked Minnesota, Dufour has held up well against the best in college hockey.

While the Badgers have built a reputation as one of the best defensive teams in the country, winning games still requires a few goals to be scored. With plenty of offensive weapons returning, Wisconsin did not need nearly as great a contribution from the young forwards as they did in other positions. Despite this, the Badgers’ leading scorer is a freshman, and two other freshmen are among the team leaders in points.

Sara Bauer, who may be soft spoken off the ice, certainly has had plenty to say on it. Currently she leads the team in both assists, with 14, and points, with 18. As the season has progressed, her production has improved, as her two goals and three assists in this past weekend’s games can attest.

Bauer has generally been paired with one of two of her classmates, Lindsay Macy or Meaghan Mikkelson, and one other upperclassman. The trio has provided an exciting glimpse into the future of the Badgers. With all three players collecting double-digit point totals so far this season, the group makes up one of the strongest line combinations for the Badgers.

Mikkelson and Macy share the freshman lead with five goals each and have often shown signs that bigger and better goal totals can be expected in the near future. While the Badgers do not rely on the freshmen for scoring, the offense they provide has gone a long way in making all of Wisconsin’s top three lines formidable.

“We’ve gone around the circuit once,” Johnson said. “As we go around the second time, hopefully the freshmen will be a little more comfortable.”

With this year’s team fighting for the top spot in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association and the coveted spot in the Frozen Four, the real test for this group of freshmen will be what they take from the experience as they become the leaders of future teams.

“Hopefully some of the things that the Hunters, the Millars and the Rickards have been doing for the past four years will rub off on the freshmen,” Johnson said. “Then they’ll understand the passion and hard work and can carry that torch that’s been passed along to them.”