On Jan. 2, while most college students were still recovering from New Year’s revelry, the University of Wisconsin women’s hockey team did something no other WCHA team had done this season.
They defeated the women’s U.S. Select Team, by a score of 3-2, in an exhibition match at the Kohl Center. The result left the U.S. Select Team with a 6-1-0 record against WCHA opponents, with a game against Minnesota-Duluth postponed.
Playing in front of a crowd of 1,880, senior defenseman Rachel Bible said it was a statement win for the team.
“We wanted to send a message to the rest of the teams in the WCHA, and the country, how good we can be,” Bible said. “I think that was the biggest thing for us, was just to send a message.”
Bible helped the message-sending cause by assisting freshman center Brooke Ammerman on the game’s first goal, just over five minutes into the game. The Badgers extended their lead with less than a minute to play in the first frame, when Maria Evans, a sophomore forward, lit the lamp on a feed from junior forward Emily Kranz. The goal was the second of Evans’ career.
In the second period, prolific sophomore forward, and usual U.S. Select Team member, Hilary Knight converted a power play opportunity to put UW up by three. Senior center, and fellow national team member, Erika Lawler and senior forward Angie Keseley registered the assists.
For the game, the Badgers committed only three penalties to the Select Team’s seven. The disparity, Lawler said, played into the outcome, but not necessarily because the Badgers spent a lot of time on power play.
“I think it was more important that we stayed out of the box, than we kept them in the box,” Lawler said. “Obviously you want to score on a power play, but when you’re playing against the best penalty killers in the United States, you’re kind of just like, ‘Alright, we got an extra player here.'”
Although long-time National Team members Julie Chu and Natalie Darwitz thinned the margin to one with a goal apiece, the Badgers held their opponent scoreless for the final 13:57 to prevail with an impressive victory. Ammerman said it was an exciting win, especially considering the absences of freshman defenseman Brittany Haverstock and sophomore forward Mallory Deluce, who were away playing with the Canadian national team.
“Some of us were just getting back from camp, and we were missing two of our better players because they were with Team Canada,” Ammerman said. “So to beat USA in front of a big crowd in our first exhibition game back from break was pretty awesome. It felt pretty good.”
For Ammerman and a handful of other Badgers, the matchup pitted them against some familiar faces. When the Select Team plays internationally, their lineup normally includes Lawler, Knight, junior forward Meghan Duggan and senior goaltender Jessie Vetter. Ammerman, who was assistant captain of the U.S. Under-18 team in a series against Canada in August, joined them in late December for the Select Team’s holiday camp in Blaine, Minn. Lawler said the relationships across the ice make for a special environment.
“Anytime you get to play the national team players, girls who are supposed to be the best in the sport, you get really pumped up to play against them,” Lawler said. “And knowing a lot of them from the camps and everything, and actually just getting back from a camp with them all, and then playing on a different team than all of them, it was a really interesting and unique experience.”
Additionally, three former Badgers revisited their old stomping ground. Forward Jinelle Zaugg and defensemen Molly Engstrom and Kerry Weiland all started for the U.S. Team. Former UW goalie Chanda Gunn is also a member of the team but did not play in the exhibition.
Bible said trying to stop Zaugg, instead of having her in the cardinal red, was not an enviable task.
“She’s a really good player,” Bible said. “She’s really hard to play one-on-one against because of her long stick. So, it’s almost impossible, but it’s fun to play against.”
Even though the win doesn’t count for anything official, the lessons learned through the experience of playing a world-class opponent should only help the Badgers as they begin winding down their season. Lawler noted that being able to outplay such elite competition should give the team confidence as they eye the Frozen Four.
“When you see Natalie Darwitz out there, Jenny Potter, and you’re going against them and they can accelerate into that sixth gear that they can just crank it up into, it’s crazy to watch and it’s very challenging to play against,” Lawler said. “But for the most part, we were right there with them, and I think that that’s what everyone was pretty pumped up about in the locker room. … I think it’s just a learning experience for us that we can take throughout the rest of the season.”
