Checking into the break, the Wisconsin women’s hockey team did what was unexpected — it sputtered, tying two games against St. Cloud State. Since then, the Badgers have looked spectacular, soundly sweeping perennial powerhouse Minnesota and a rugged Providence team. The team’s strong play to begin the second half of the season has head coach Mark Johnson extremely pleased.
Right now, with a .896 winning percentage (20-1-3), the women in cardinal and white are in exactly the same position as their championship squad from a year ago, and a major reason why can be credited to the play of Meghan — or Meaghan — Francis.
Meghan Francis Duggan and Meaghan Francis Mikkelson, that is. Both have the same first and middle names and both have had marvelous seasons for the Badgers.
“It’s kind of funny that we both have the same name,” Duggan said. “Mikkelson and I always joke about [it].”
Besides sharing the same first and middle name, Duggan and Mikkelson are two of Wisconsin’s rising stars who have emerged as top-tier scoring threats on a team loaded with talent.
Duggan, a freshman from Danvers, Mass., is the team’s fourth-leading scorer. Mikkelson is third.
In 24 games, Duggan has notched 16 goals to go along with 12 assists. Her 16 goals rank fourth in the nation among freshmen and her 28 points are tied for third.
“Duggan is probably the most skilled player on our team, and she’s a freshman,” senior captain Bobbi-Jo Slusar said. “She has unreal hands. Duggan’s very skilled on and off the ice, and she’s a great player and a great person.”
It was a sentiment expressed by Mikkelson as well, who referred to Duggan as “a phenomenal player” with a great work ethic.
While Duggan’s teammates are impressed with the contributions she has made and the numbers she is logging, the freshman seems unconcerned. Instead, Duggan focuses on winning.
“I didn’t even know my numbers,” Duggan said. “Individual achievements aren’t really important to me. As long as the team’s doing well, and we’re winning and playing hard and such — that’s what matters.”
Johnson attributes the young forward’s success to the confidence she has gained from playing alongside Patty Kazmaier Award-winner Sara Bauer, and to her work ethic in general.
“She’s confident, and being on the front line the past few weeks with Sara and Jinelle certainly helps,” Johnson said. “She does a lot of little things. First of all, she works hard and competes every shift. She wants to get better and she pushes herself to become better.”
Mikkelson’s presence resonates on both ends of the ice. From blocking shots with her body on defense to running the things from the point on offense, she does it all.
Entering last week’s matchup against the Friars of Providence, Mikkelson had a scoring streak of six games, notching 12 points during that stretch. For the season, the St. Albert, Alberta native leads the NCAA in points by a defenseman with 29.
“She has great hands and a great shot,” Duggan said. “She’s smart, makes great decisions, and I think she’s a solid backbone of our team.”
But the senior wasn’t always a scoring threat.
Before converting to defense prior to the 2005-06 season, Mikkelson scored just 34 points in two seasons. Now, barely over a year and a half later, she has nearly tripled that production. Mikkelson’s play has really opened up things offensively for other players, indicated by her 23 assists this season.
“I was lucky that it worked out so well,” Mikkelson said. “It’s really fortunate that the coaches gave me the opportunity to play back there. It seems to be working out really great and … I learn from (the defensemen) each and every game, too. Hopefully I can continue to get better and continue to improve.”
Even though Wisconsin appears to have little room for improvement, having suffered just one loss in the past 36 games (32-1-3), head coach Mark Johnson makes sure his players don’t get complacent. He also stresses that the team gives its full effort for an entire 60 minutes — something Wisconsin learned the hard way when St. Cloud State scored two goals in the final eight minutes to skate to a 3-3 tie.
“Coach Johnson does a really great job of keeping us focused and working to get better all the time and not to underestimate anyone,” Mikkelson said. “You cannot let up, no matter who your opponent is. That’s when losses happen.”
With 10 regular-season games remaining, the dual personality of Meaghan — or Meghan — Francis will do everything in her power to bring home another piece of hardware for the UW women’s hockey team.