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The Wisconsin women’s hockey team no longer has anyone in the country to chase after.

After three weeks residing at No. 2 in the nation behind defending national champion Minnesota Duluth, the Badgers have moved to the top of the pecking order in both the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine and the USCHO.com polls.

The team received 17 of 19 first-place votes in the USA Today rankings, and 14 of 15 first-place votes in the USCHO.com poll. The Badgers commenced their conference schedule over the weekend with 7-4 and 4-0 victories over then No. 9 Ohio State in Columbus. The losses dropped the Buckeyes out of the top 10 in the new poll.

Helping to clear the top spot for the Badgers was conference rival Minnesota. The Golden Gophers prevailed on the road in two close games against Duluth, knocking the Bulldogs from the summit of the polls.

Although being considered the best team is a nice tribute, the players are not preoccupied with where they stand.

“I think we’re a team that really doesn’t look at the polls,” senior captain Erika Lawler said. “We’re only six games into the season, and polls don’t really mean much right now.”

Moving up to fill the No. 2 spot vacated by the Badgers is Minnesota. The Gophers ascended from the No. 6 and 7 spots in the two polls after their big road upset. Harvard, the top-ranked ECAC team, rounded out the top three. Duluth fell to fourth in the USA Today poll and fifth in the USCHO.com poll.

Senior goaltender Jessie Vetter said she is not too fond of the extra expectations that come with the top ranking, preferring instead to ignore the polls.

“It’s a nice honor that people respect your team and give you that credit,” Vetter said. “But I don’t like being at No. 1 too much because you do have the pressure of being the No. 1 team in the nation, so I’d rather just not look at it.”

The moving and shaking in the recent poll sets what up could be a heated one-two showdown in Madison a week from now when the Gophers visit the Kohl Center. The Badgers visit Bemidji State this weekend, while the Gophers host the Ohio State Buckeyes.

While a battle for preeminence in the country would be electrifying, the team is not looking past this week’s opponent.

“I don’t really think we’re overlooking Bemidji at all,” Lawler said. “Right now our main focus is definitely on Bemidji and learning how to play on a small rink and learning how to play against a hard-working team.”

If in fact both teams do win this weekend, Vetter said no extra motivation will be needed when Minnesota comes in town.

“It’s pretty cool playing Minnesota in general because they’re a great team,” Vetter said. “So no matter what happens this weekend, it’s just going to be a fun game. I enjoy playing them.”

Although sitting atop the rankings could render some teams overconfident, Lawler and Vetter don’t envision that being a problem with this year’s squad.

“[Keeping people focused] isn’t really something I even have to do because this team is all focused anyway,” Lawler said. “Everyone on this team is so serious about the sport and really into the game and really into working hard. Everyone just makes my job real easy.”

Vetter, who notched her WCHA record 28th shutout on Saturday, said she tries to offer as much of the knowledge she has gained in three plus years to the underclassmen to help keep the team concentrating on the ultimate goal.

“I think just telling them about experiences from when we played [helps them],” Vetter said. “[I tell them] just how you have to come prepared for each game.”

The USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll is compiled each week in conjunction with the American Hockey Coaches Association. It gauges opinions of coaches and writers from all six of the NCAA Division I conferences, as well as votes from officers of the AHCA and USA Hockey Magazine.

The USCHO.com poll is gathered weekly and is comprised of 15 voters: 12 Division I coaches and three writers.

Wisconsin was last ranked No. 1 early last winter, during the week of Nov. 12.