The University of Wisconsin women’s hockey team is loaded with talent at all positions.

However, the Badgers are fresh off their first loss of the season at Minnesota-Duluth and are realizing that talent alone will not suffice. Working hard and doing the little things should prove to be vital as the Badger’s attempt to defend their No. 1 national ranking.

Small but crucial tasks like winning battles for the puck in the corners and winning face-offs will become even more important down the stretch as team defenses continue to tighten up and goals become harder to come by. Wisconsin head coach Mark Johnson mentioned the more intricate battles within a hockey game will be a priority for the Badger’s down the stretch.

“You have to [focus on the little things]; those are the things that you know down the home stretch are going to win you hockey games,” Johnson said following Wisconsin’s 7-2 victory over North Dakota on Saturday afternoon. “As you get yourself organized for the playoffs and ready to go, there are going to be tight games, probably one-goal games, maybe overtime games. So the better you do those little things and create those habits, really solidify them down the stretch, the better chance you have of winning hockey games.”

Winning face-offs is the type of seemingly unimportant play that carries great importance, especially as the Badger’s fight to maintain the No. 1 playoff spot in the WCHA. Wisconsin has done a great job of winning face-offs all year, winning over 64 percent of the face-offs in the season and this weekend was no exception

“If you end up losing a lot of your face-offs, or a high percentage of them, then you end up chasing the puck and trying to gain possession of it,” Johnson said. “Especially in the defensive ends.”

“Offensive ends, especially on power plays, if you win face-offs you have puck possession in the other team’s zone,” he added. “If you’re winning face-offs in your own end, you’re eliminating an opportunity for the other team to create a scoring chance. So it’s one of the little things that can make a big difference in the game.”

Much like winning the little battles for the puck or winning face-offs and avoiding penalties, a team’s depth is needed most this time of the year, when injuries pile up and fatigue sets in. Junior Jasmine Giles believes the Badgers have as much depth as anybody.

“I think we have four solid four lines. We could roll four lines against any team and that makes a big difference,” Giles said. “I don’t think a lot of teams in our league can do that — I don’t think any team in our league can do that, maybe not even in the nation.”

A fitting illustration of the Badgers’ depth is this weekend’s home sweep at North Dakota, in particular Saturday’s 7-2 victory in which the season high 2,983 fans saw seven different Badger’s score. Netting goals were junior Meghan Duggan, sophomore Mallory Deluce, junior Kyla Sanders, Giles, junior Emily Kranz and sophomore Malee Windmeier. Johnson was pleased by the great variety in the team’s production.

“When everybody’s going, everybody’s chipping in and doing their part, it makes it difficult to hold us back,” Johnson said. “It’s always a good sign when a lot of people make contributions.”

Despite their great depth, the Badgers have not needed to flaunt it thus far, as the team has avoided major injuries throughout the year. Sophomore Olivia Jakiel, who netted two assists in Saturday’s win, said the health of the Badgers has contributed to their success.

“Our team has a lot of depth, so we can go first, second, third or fourth line, and anyone can produce points,” Jakiel said. “Anyone can make a difference on the ice, so I think that’s really important. But it helps to have everyone healthy. When one person is missing, it’s like a part of the team is missing — everyone is there for a reason. So we are very fortunate to not have any serious injuries or things like that.”

Johnson seemed pleased with the Badgers’ performance and noted very few changes are on the horizon for his team.

“We’ll just go tighten some things up,” Johnson said. “Obviously, do some of the little things you need to do this time of year, your power play and your penalty kill. Try to stay sharp — that is the big thing. Try to keep the energy level high.”