[media-credit name=’Herald file photo’ align=’alignright’ width=’336′][/media-credit]A season ago, Mark Johnson coached the UW women's hockey team to arguably its greatest year in team history. This weekend he will begin the task of improving on a 28-9-1 record, a run at the WCHA title and an appearance in the NCAA tournament.

For the first time, the Badgers will begin the season as the top-ranked team in the country, as the most recent USCHO.com poll has the Badgers tied atop the rankings with St. Lawrence.

The No. 1 ranking gives the Badgers the foundation they need to dethrone perennial favorites Minnesota and Minnesota-Duluth. Wisconsin set records last year with 20 conference wins and 28 overall wins, but finished third in the WCHA behind Minnesota and UMD. The Badgers waited until the conference tournament to make their run, when they upset UMD in the semifinals and brought Minnesota to overtime in the championship game.

With that improbable run and an early exit from the NCAA tournament motivating the team, the bar has been raised.

"There was a sour taste in our mouth when you lose that opening game in Dartmouth, but yet it's still a step in the right direction," Johnson said. "Hopefully the things that they learned over the course of last season and what they experienced at the end of the year will carry into the start of this season."

Wisconsin has seemingly only one obstacle in its way from breaking through as a conference contender. Defensive standouts Carla MacLeod and Molly Engstrom are no longer with the team, having moved on to play for the Canadian and U.S. Olympic teams, respectively. The pair — both captains last year — was critical to the team's success as part of a defense that surrendered only 19.2 shots per game.

"We've got some holes on the blue line to fill in, but we've got young players that hopefully will be able to step up given the opportunity," Johnson said.

Junior Bobbi Jo Slusar should emerge this season as a defensive leader. She played well last year and will benefit from a larger role this season. She was also recently selected to the Canadian Under-22 women's hockey national team.

The Badgers may also benefit from the shifts of Meaghan Mikkelson and Vicki Davis from forwards to defenders. Mikkelson has some experience with the role, having been listed as a defender/forward her freshman year, but she and Davis were both full-time forwards last season. Whether the shifts are permanent is yet to be seen, but Mikkelson seems to be prepared for the role.

"I see the position a little differently. I think a lot about the forwards because I know as a forward what kinds of passes you do and don't want," Mikkelson said of bringing her offensive mentality to the defense.

Regardless of the changes on defense, the Badgers can rest well knowing they have retained most of their arsenal of offensive threats from 2004. Two of last year's top three scorers, Sara Bauer and Sharon Cole, remain together on a line that combined to score 131 points last year. They will, however, be without Lindsay Macy, who transferred, but freshman Kayla Hagen should be a valued addition.

"We'll experiment here in the next couple of weekends to try to find some good chemistry among the players," Johnson said of his new lines this season.

Senior Nikki Burish should also be a threat this season. She had 33 points last season, 20 of which came on assists. She'll look to put the puck in the net herself a little more often this season.

Sophomore Jinelle Zaugg emerged late last season as an offensive weapon, with the ability to score at any time. Her size (6-foot-1) allows her to reach pucks that no one else can and gives her unbelievable torque on her shots.

In goal, the Badgers have a multitude of options. Last season, Meghan Horras and Christine Dufour shared duties in net, and this year they will be joined in the rotation by redshirt freshman Jessie Vetter. Vetter will miss some time early this season due to illness, but the team has many options, with three potentially viable options. The trick will be making sure no one is left out.

"Our challenge is going to try to make sure we have the right person in the net at the right time, but at the same time, giving everybody an opportunity and trying to keep them happy," Johnson said.

The team will have to get comfortable early this season as it jumps into conference play right out of the chute, hosting Minnesota-Duluth this weekend. Only one of the Badgers' first six opponents comes from outside the WCHA.