[media-credit name=’MEGHAN CONLIN/Herald Photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]After finishing the regular season with three straight shutouts, the Wisconsin women's hockey team will begin their playoff run when they host North Dakota this weekend.

The best-of-three series will be match teams up from opposite ends of the playoff spectrum: the WCHA champion Badgers versus the lowly Fighting Sioux, who managed just seven wins this season.

The Badgers are certainly going into the series carrying a lot of confidence. The last three games resulted in shutout victories for Wisconsin, each with a different goalie in net. Senior Meghan Horras, junior Christine Dufour and freshman Jessie Vetter combined to stop all 43 shots they faced.

Wisconsin is also confident in their offense, having the highest goal per game average during the regular season in addition to allowing the fewest goals in the conference. Of the top twenty scorers in the WCHA, seven are Badgers.

"I think our attitude is really good going into this weekend," junior defender Bobbi-Jo Slusar said. "Everyone has a lot of jump and everyone's really excited. I think our attitude is very positive and we have a good work ethic."

The Badgers also have history on their side. Ever since North Dakota joined the WCHA, they have yet to record a victory against Wisconsin. The Badgers are now 8-0 all-time against the Sioux.

"I don't think [we're overconfident]," Slusar added. "People always think that when you're playing against a team you've played before and you've beaten them. I think that's the hardest team to play, the team that you've … beaten every time."

Regardless of how confident the Badgers may be, the team recognizes that the regular season is now irrelevant. A team could lose a series during the regular season, shrug it off and prepare for the next series.

Not so with the postseason. If a team loses a series in the playoffs, they're sent packing.

"It's dangerous," head coach Mark Johnson said. "Because everything you did during the regular season gets thrown out the window, and North Dakota can make the same statement because every team has the same record right now."

The Badgers also know that the Fighting Sioux will put up a tough fight in the series. No matter how poor North Dakota's record is, the Badgers do not expect the Sioux to go down easy.

"I think [North Dakota] will be coming out hard," UW team captain Sharon Cole said. "They have nothing to lose … we know we can't let down at all because they beat [the University of Minnesota-Duluth] the other weekend. So we'll need to bring our A-game."

"I think Friday's game will be a very good match and a difficult game," Johnson said. "North Dakota will come in here with everything to gain and nothing to lose."

UND finished last in the conference with an overall record of 7-25-2. The Sioux scored the fewest goals in the WCHA and allowed the most goals scored against them.

If North Dakota is to win this series, they must tighten down on defense and receive some improved goaltending from senior Amber Hasbargen. She holds a record of 4-18-2 and ranks dead last in the goals against (3.74) and save percentage (.885) departments when it comes to the WCHA.

With their weak offense, the Sioux must try to contain the Badgers' offense and keep games close. North Dakota did well in two games against the Badgers, where they lost by just one goal in each game, even sending one game into overtime. The other two defeats to Wisconsin were blowouts, where the Sioux were shutout and outscored 12-0.

North Dakota will also have to be very careful with penalties. They accumulate an average of 15 penalty minutes per game, which is dangerous when faced with a powerful Wisconsin powerplay.

On the Badgers' side, Slusar and junior forward Sara Bauer, Wisconsin's leading scorer at 45 points, are finalists for the Patty Kazmaier award. The award is given to the player that best demonstrates "outstanding individual and team skills, sportsmanship, performance in the clutch, personal character, competitiveness and a love of hockey."

The series begins this Friday at 2:07 at the Kohl Center.