[media-credit name=’AJ MACLEAN/Herald Photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]Any coach or analyst will tell you that defense wins games. The Baltimore Ravens marched to a Super Bowl victory on the heels of one of the NFL’s all-time greatest defenses, and Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls dynasty of the 90s was marked by stifling defense from Jordan, Scottie Pippen and others. The Minnesota Twins have been a mainstay in the upper echelon of the American League the last few years due to a defense that ESPN’s “Baseball Tonight” has deemed worthy of its own Web Gems segment.

With this wisdom in mind, the Wisconsin women’s hockey team has put together a defense this year that is arguably the best in the country. Much of that has to do with the play of defender Carla MacLeod, a bright, outgoing young Canadian wanting nothing more from life than to play a little hockey — and win an Olympic gold.

At a time in Badger history when all the aspects of the game are working together as a cohesive unit, the play of MacLeod and teammate Molly Engstrom have been a centerpiece of success. Giving up just 1.42 goals per game this season, MacLeod and the Badgers have stymied offenses to the point of frustration, rarely giving up more than 20 shots in a game.

MacLeod also knows how to make things happen on offense. Last season she finished with 18 assists and five goals, with a plus-minus rating of +31. She may not put the puck in the net as often as other players, but she seems to always be a part of the scoring plays. Head coach Mark Johnson agrees that MacLeod is the type of well-rounded player needed to lead a team.

“She has the ability to read plays and to know when to pinch and when not to pinch,” Johnson said. “When she gets the puck, she makes the right pass and the right decision, or she will hold the puck and then make a pass.”

Last season MacLeod was named team captain, an honor that she took to heart. She combines her vast knowledge of the game with a knack for getting the most out of her teammates.

“She has those natural instincts that coaches look for in a leader: how to read people, how to help people, how to pick them up,” Johnson said. “She has good communications skills that are necessary in any leader.”

Amid all her success here at Wisconsin — including being named second team All-American last season — MacLeod has one main goal in mind: Olympic gold. She has been playing on national teams for Canada since before her time in Madison, spending her prep years and some of her college years playing for Canada’s Under-22 National Team. Now she sits on the brink of what could be the apex of her career.

“For me it’s the Olympics,” MacLeod said. “That’s what I’ve been working for the last four years. I’m close, but I’m not there yet. And if I can do that, I can say I’ve achieved every goal in my hockey career.”

Last October, a roster of 40 women’s hockey elites was cut down to 30 for the Four Nations Cup in November. MacLeod scored two goals in that four-team tournament on the way to gold for Team Canada. Last week, she was back again with Team Canada, playing against several prep midget AAA teams in exhibition games that were much like a tryout for the 30 women. MacLeod will find out in March if she will be on the “centralized” roster of 25 women who will train and play together right up to the Olympics.

MacLeod says she hopes to be on the Olympic roster by the opening ceremonies next year, but she isn’t rushed by any feeling of urgency. She will have another opportunity in 2010. In the mean time, however, she is focused on improving her game at the college level — and that of her teammates — by drawing on her national team play for guidance.

“What I hope to do when I come home from a camp or a tournament like that, is to bring my level and keep my level up and then hopefully push the girls on my team to match it so everyone steps up a level,” MacLeod explained.

Her experience at the top level of play can only bolster her contribution to the team and give her an edge when competing against college athletes. Against Olympic players like Krissy Wendell, Natalie Darwitz and Kelly Stephens of Minnesota, the experience of competing against the best women hockey players in the world is a valuable commodity.

“It expands her knowledge of the game and it expands her game,” Johnson said of MacLeod’s Team Canada experience. “It challenges her, and when she comes back here, the game almost seems slower than when she is playing at that national level.”

MacLeod maintains that she still would love to make it to the Frozen Four for the first time in Wisconsin history and that she values team success above all else. But the Calgary, Alb., native can’t let go of a dream she has had since being a little girl: Olympic gold.