Though she was kept out of the season-ending series against Bemidji State after having her appendix removed, Meghan Duggan returned to the Badger lineup this weekend in the first round of the WCHA series, even notching a goal and an assist in Saturday's series-clinching win.

"The world of medicine is changing, and it's amazing because within less than seven days, she was back on the ice skating," UW head coach Mark Johnson said at a press conference Monday.

In addition to the medical aspect, Johnson said Duggan's character also had a hand in her returning to the ice so quickly.

"She's had an outstanding freshman year, and I think just the way she handled herself, going through that whole week of uncertainty and not knowing what was going to happen and when she was going to be able to play again," Johnson said. "She's just a very classy young lady and certainly has three more great years here at the university."

Goaltending decision yet to be made

Once again, the netminding duties were split this weekend with sophomore Jessie Vetter getting the nod in the series' first game and senior Christine Dufour in the second. As has been the case throughout the season, both played well, each notching a shutout against lowly North Dakota.

With Ohio State up next, though, and no more pushover opponents standing between the Badgers and a national championship, a decision on the starting goalie will need to be made soon, but Johnson isn't quite ready to name his starter yet.

"We're going to have a tough decision to make as a staff the next couple games here on who we're going to play and how we're going to go about that," Johnson said. "It's going to be not just an instant decision. It's going to be sit back and analyze it, who we're going to play against, which goaltender matches up."

For the season, Vetter — last season's tournament starter — has a 16-1-3 record and a .942 save percentage while Dufour has a 15-0-1 record and a .955 save percentage, so both goalies have put up equally impressive numbers.

"We'll look at who we're playing and the situation," Johnson said, "what rink we're playing in, what are the dimensions of the ice sheet and those type of things before we come to a conclusion."

Awards await talented Badgers

A star-studded roster that includes two Patty Kazmaier candidates and some more athletes who could have made a case for the nomination, Wisconsin will be expected to have multiple players receiving All-Conference recognition and other prestigious honors at the season's end.

"I think that's a compliment of our team," Johnson said. "That we've been able to go deep with three and four lines, a couple of very solid goaltenders and the team being very consistent over the entire year. When you put those factors together and you start looking at the end-of-the-year awards … they deserve it."

Johnson expects leadership from seniors

On a team laden with upperclassman, experience no doubt has and will continue to play a role in UW's success in the postseason. As the Badgers head into the most difficult and important portion of the year, Johnson said he expects the seniors to take on leadership roles.

"Our seniors have been there now for three years," Johnson said. "They've experienced the good side of it, and they also experienced losing."

Having experienced both the good and bad, Johnson believes the older players will be able to help guide the younger players through the playoffs.

"It's tough to buy experience unless you get that opportunity to go through it," he said. "They've been through it now on both sides, and that certainly will motivate the group and obviously help our younger players."