The No. 1 University of Wisconsin women’s hockey team (6-0-0, 2-0-0 WCHA) ventures out of conference play to face off against the Long Island University Lions (0-2-0, 0-0-0 NEWHA) this weekend.
The Badgers are on a roll this season, as they advanced their winning streak to six after their bout last weekend against No. 9 The Ohio State University.
Key to Wisconsin’s win over the Buckeyes was sophomore Sophie Shirley, whose stellar performance notched her the 50th point of her career last weekend. The sophomore gained her 14th point of the season, including four goals and 10 assists in six games, tying her for second-most points on the team with senior Abby Roque.
Women’s Hockey: Badgers continue to set gold standard after championship season
In addition to Shirley’s dominant play, three Badgers were named WCHA Player of the Week, as senior goalie Kristen Campbell, senior captain Mekenzie Steffen and junior Daryl Watts earned the honors after their two-game sweep.
Campbell currently leads the NCAA with six wins and three shutouts, while her 0.948 save percentage and 0.88 goals-against-average rank near the top in the country.
Steffen is coming off her best weekend of the season as she scored three goals and three assists during the Badgers’ trouncing of the Buckeyes. Steffen set a career-high with five points Saturday, in addition to scoring the game-winning goal.
Watts gained her first WCHA Player of the Week honors as she is coming off a seven-point weekend, amassing five goals and two assists during the sweep. Scoring in each of her first six games as a Badger, Watts is now tied for the tenth longest goal streak in program history. Watts also leads the NCAA in scoring this season with 18 points, including seven goals and 11 assists.
In addition to successful individual play last weekend, the team as a unit dominated in the two matchups against Ohio State, as they scored on all four of their power-play opportunities Saturday en route to a 7–3 victory. Currently, Wisconsin leads the nation with a .520 power-play success rate.
The Badgers look to continue their dominance this weekend with a two-game series against the Long Island University Sharks. The game will be played in Syosset, New York, and puck drop is scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday and 4:30 p.m. Saturday. The game can be followed live on Twitter @BadgerWHockey.
