It was a new year and a new venue, but that didn’t help the Wisconsin women’s hockey team get a different result at the Frozen Four.
Facing arch rival Minnesota for the second straight year in the national semifinals, the Badgers (29-7-4) scored first, but then allowed three goals in the second period as they fell 3-1 to the top-seeded Gophers (33-3-4).
Minnesota went on to the National Championship Sunday afternoon where it knocked off Harvard 4-1 to win its sixth national title.
Just like last year’s Frozen Four semifinal, the Badgers held the lead over Minnesota, but gave up a few goals and let the chance to play in the National Championship game get away.
“I told our team that we left everything on the ice,” Wisconsin head coach Mark Johnson said. “We had our opportunities, we didn’t capitalize on the opportunities that we had. It wasn’t due to a lack of effort or commitment. The team was happy with the way we played.”
Wisconsin lost 5-3 to the Gophers in the same game a year ago, and this year it scored just five total goals in five losses to a team it hasn’t beaten since 2011.
“The tough part is you come up short again, similar situation that we were in last year,” Johnson added. “You can taste the championship game and you’re one step away. It’s disappointing for anybody when it’s your last game and you don’t get to practice tomorrow and don’t get the opportunity to play Sunday afternoon.”
Freshman Annie Pankowski lit the lamp under a minute into the second period when the puck slid to her after freshman Emily Clark won the faceoff. Pankowski put the puck top shelf past Gopher goaltender Amanda Leveille.
Pankowski scored 42 points on the season to the lead Badgers. This was the first time a freshman has led Wisconsin in scoring since the 2003-04 season.
The goal created some energy for the Badgers, but they were not able to find the back of the net again.
Minnesota quickly answered with a goal halfway through the second period. The puck escaped from a scramble in front of the net, and Hannah Brandt stuffed a shot behind Wisconsin netminder Ann-Renee Desbiens at the 8:53 mark of the frame.
“Their elite players, their go-to players always seem to come up big in the big moments,” Johnson said. “When they needed a boost in today’s game Hannah [Brandt] stepped up and scored and she set up a couple more plays. That’s why she’s so special to them, and that’s one of the reasons that for three years they’ve been pretty tough to defeat, especially for us.”
Less than two minutes after the equalizer, the Maryanne Menefee scored her goal on a rebound to give Minnesota the lead for good.
Minnesota finished off its second period flurry with the final goal of the game on a power play. Kelly Pannek grabbed a rebound and lit the lamp to give the nation’s best power-play an insurance tally against the nation’s best penalty kill in Wisconsin, which had only allowed four power-play tallies all year before that score.
“After we scored and made it 1-0, we had some good shifts after that. They capitalized on a play and energized it and within two minutes they got a second goal, and then they capitalized on a power play later in the period,” Johnson said.
Wisconsin and Minnesota both had 13 shots in the middle period, but the Gophers were the ones who took advantage of the potential scoring plays.
“Again, the chances we had in the second period, two or three golden opportunities, even if you get one of those it might change the momentum of the game,” Johnson said. “Their goaltender was able to make the saves she needed to, they blocked the shots that they needed, and capitalized on the opportunities when we presented them.”
The Gophers, who were playing on very familiar ice at Ridder Arena, were able to create energy in their home arena after the goals. That was something the Badgers could not do, despite outshooting Minnesota 35-23 on the night. But Leveille made 34 saves to keep the Gophers in the game and in control of it near the end.
“All the credit in the world to that goalie; she played a great game, but her team played a great game in front of her,” Pankowski said. “It’s just the little bounces that didn’t go our way that could have changed the game. I think we had the opportunities, we just didn’t get our bounce.”
In the other net, Wisconsin’s Desbiens finished with just 20 saves and had to make just three stops in the final period when UW outshot Minnesota 10-3. Coming into the game, the Badgers and Gophers were the top two in the country in shots on goal per game. However, UW held Minnesota to a season-low 23 shots. Desbiens, who had 14 shutouts this season, couldn’t stop the Gophers high-powered attack.
The senior class of Brittany Ammerman, Blayre Turnbull, Karley Sylvester, Katy Josephs and Katarina Zgraja leave Wisconsin on this note, not having defeated the Gophers in 18 straight games, dating back to 2011.
The younger players could see how those players felt, something they can use as they begin to prepare for next year.
“I think in the locker room you could see on the faces of everyone, even the seniors that this was not enough for everyone,” Pankowski said. “It’s going to be that bitter taste that’s in our mouth that’s going to drive us next year.”
