As the WCHA regular season winds down for the University of Wisconsin women’s hockey team, its collective focus is beginning to shift more and more toward the post-season. In years past, that has meant Wisconsin gearing up for the WCHA playoffs and hoping for a timely tournament run to earn them one more shot at the Frozen Four.
Last season was a perfect example — Wisconsin split a series with Minnesota on the road and went on to win its last six games of the season heading into the WCHA tournament. The Badgers were ranked No. 5 in the country and knew they probably needed to win the tournament to assure them a birth in the NCAA tournament. UW ended its run by dropping a contest to Minnesota-Duluth, missing out on the Frozen Four yet again.
This year, however, the Badgers are in a much different situation. After being swept by Minnesota on the road, Wisconsin dominated Minnesota State in Madison and now is ranked No. 4 in the nation, putting it on the bubble for a Frozen Four birth. This season, the NCAA has expanded the women’s hockey tournament to include the top eight teams in the country, meaning that barring a major late-season swoon, this UW squad will become the first to reach the NCAA tournament.
“Last year, we were so close being fifth, and it hurt,” senior assistant captain Jackie Friesen said.
A late season collapse is highly unlikely for the Badgers this season, as their remaining opponents — Ohio State, Bemidji State and St. Cloud State — currently stand fourth, sixth and eighth (dead last) in the WCHA this season, respectively. Only Ohio State has registered a win against the Badgers. Wisconsin has outscored its remaining opponents 29-6 in six games thus far.
So, with a manageable remaining schedule, are the Badgers looking ahead a little to the play-offs?
“We are just trying to get better. We just have to maintain what we are doing and try to make another step to get better,” head coach Mark Johnson said.
Though the idea of playing in the NCAA tournament is not completely foreign to the team, Wisconsin does not want to look past their upcoming home finale with Ohio State.
“You can’t go into any game thinking that you are going to beat the team because anybody can do anything on any given day, so you have to go in prepared to play your best hockey no matter what team you are playing against,” freshman Jinelle Zaugg said after scoring two goals against Minnesota State Sunday night.
Zaugg did concede that the final weeks of the regular season are a tune up the big games of the post-season.
“We’re working on the little things in the practices and the games,” Zaugg said. “Using all the [the little things] to use in the bigger games, when we need them. I think we are really getting better and will be ready for those bigger games.”
One of the ways Wisconsin is improving on the ice is with its recent scoring balance. UW has six players with at least 10 goals this season, already a good team effort of spreading the puck around. However, in the past weeks even more Badgers have been getting in on the scoring act.
In the Jan. 21-22 series against North Dakota, Wisconsin had six players with less than 10 goals on the season score, as the team received big contributions from players who typically did not show up in the box score.
“We can’t depend on one or two players to lead us to victory and these little games help us to build our confidence,” Zaugg said.
Last weekend against Minnesota State, the Wisconsin scoring regulars stepped up, as scoring leader Sara Bauer and the team’s career scoring leader, Jackie Friesen, both managed three goal weekends, while two other double-digit goal scorers lit the lamp.
“The more spread out the goals get, obviously the opposing team can’t focus on any one line, because everyone is contributing,” Friesen said. ” Some lines have their nights, some lines don’t, but the more spread out you are the better. The most important thing though is to put the puck in the net, though. Yeah, when you score in these games, that is good, but when it really counts that is when we need to step up and put the puck back in the net, like against Minnesota.”
The Badgers also have received a boost with the return of their second leading scorer, sophomore Lindsay Macy, from suspension.
“I thought [Macy] played really well and she has definitely improved her attitude, over before. It really brings the rest of the team up, instead of down,” Zaugg said. “Getting along with everybody and having a more positive attitude is a great thing for us.”
Wisconsin also hopes to have sophomore goaltender Christine Dufour back soon. Dufour dressed for the first time in over two months last weekend.
Friesen epitomizes the team’s attitude as a whole of mixing anticipation for the playoffs and focus for the next game.
“This year, Mark [Johnson] just came in and said that we could be the first [Wisconsin] team to go to NCAAs and the first to put a banner up in the Kohl Center, so I think we are all really excited,” Friesen said. “I’m excited. This is my last chance to do this, so I am going to do anything I can to get there and put a banner up here.”
“I think excitement, but not looking too far ahead, is key, because we need six more wins before we get to the play-offs for sure and you don’t know what can happen with other teams. Things get crazy at the end of the year.”
