The Wisconsin women’s hockey team (22-5-3, 16-5-1 WCHA), who host Western Collegiate Hockey Association rival Bemidji State (5-25-2, 3-18-1 WCHA) this weekend, come in needing a couple of wins and some help to keep their hopes of a WCHA title and a berth in the NCAA’s Frozen Four alive. Despite already tying the program’s record mark for wins in a season at 22, the Badgers sit three points behind Minnesota in the WCHA race, and are ranked fifth in the nation, just percentage points behind St. Lawrence and Dartmouth in the race for the final spot in the Frozen Four. As the team finishes off the season, anything short of two wins this weekend would be a near fatal blow to Wisconsin’s post-season dreams.
While Wisconsin has high aspirations for this season, Bemidji State is just trying to gain some semblance of respectability. Sitting in seventh in the seven team WCHA, the Beavers would like nothing more than to knock off one of the nation’s best. While the game seems a bit of a mismatch on paper, Bemidji State’s play of late has certainly been greatly improved over the team Wisconsin saw back in November.
The Beavers have obviously struggled this season, but their future is bright as the team is led by a group of young players. Their top three scorers are all freshmen, led by Kelly Hart who has nine goals and 10 assists for nine points on the season. Sophomore Carly Napier is the only Beaver amongst the team’s top five scorers who is not a freshman. With all of the youth on this team, their struggles are not that surprising. Likewise, the fact that they have steadily improved over the course of the season also is not surprising. With the maturing of all the young players, the Badgers will need to take this team very seriously to avoid an embarrassing loss.
The Beavers have split time in their goal between senior Anik Cote and sophomore Jill Luebke. Cote sports the better numbers of the pair with a 3.39 goals against average and a .877 save percentage. Cote, who will be playing in the final games of her career, will likely get the starting nod this weekend.
The Badgers will spend the weekend saying goodbye to a senior class that has steadily improved the team’s national ranking each season. With a very realistic chance to be part of the Frozen Four, this group has helped to elevate Wisconsin to the nation’s elite.
One of the driving forces behind the group’s success is assistant captain Meghan Hunter. The holder of every major offensive record for the Badgers, Hunter has spearheaded the offense from her first season on. Along with fellow seniors Steph Millar and Karen Rickard, the trio has played a major role in Wisconsin’s successes over the past four years. While the seniors have not been asked to carry the offensive load, the group has played well of late, especially Rickard, who was named WCHA player of the week for her three goals and two assists in last week’s sweep of Ohio State.
Defensemen Kathryn Greaves and forward Stephanie Boeckmann also will be playing in their final games for the cardinal and white.
If the Badgers take care of business on the ice this weekend, they will again turn their attention to other games around the country that will affect their fate.
In the WCHA, Wisconsin has all but sealed second place finish. With Minnesota traveling to struggling St. Cloud State, it would be a shock if Minnesota did not get the one point they need to secure the top spot over the Badgers. Wisconsin, meanwhile is already five points clear of third place Minnesota-Duluth.
At the national level, the Badgers need either St. Lawrence or Dartmouth to slip up if they are to move back into the top four. St. Lawrence hosts unranked Union while Dartmouth is on the road for games against Cornell and 17th ranked Colgate. Like Minnesota, neither team is expected to have trouble with their foes, leaving Wisconsin needing a very strong showing next weekend in the WCHA tournament to get the bid for the Frozen Four.
