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The excitement level is high for the top-ranked University of Wisconsin women’s hockey team this week as they prepare for a weekend series against No. 2 Minnesota.

Head coach Mark Johnson’s squad will travel to Minneapolis to take on the Gophers at Ridder Arena — a place in which they have had some recent success. Since the 2004-05 season, the Badgers have not lost on the road against the Gophers.

With such road success, Wisconsin’s players are eager to begin the weekend series.

“I think both teams get excited,” Johnson said. “There’s a lot of players on Minnesota, and several of our players know each other.”

For the second straight season, Johnson’s squad will play at Minnesota on the same weekend as the Wisconsin men’s team. Last year, it worked out well for the women’s team despite a loss and tie for Mike Eaves’ men’s squad.

With the series pitting the two top-ranked women’s hockey teams against each other this weekend, the stakes will be high for both the Badgers and the Gophers. The WCHA tiebreaker begins with head-to-head record, so a win could be vital to seeding in the postseason.

“I hope both (Wisconsin) teams have success up there,” Johnson said. “There’s a lot at stake this weekend. It’s a fun time of year if you’re in the hockey business.”

With Johnson’s personal accolades out of the way over the last week — being named head coach of the 2010 Olympic team and earning his 200th career victory — he and his team can focus all their energy on the task at hand: a weekend Border Battle series.

The Badgers appeared to be boosted by the accomplishments of their head coach in winning both games 7-0 over the weekend.

“I was very pleased with our effort,” Johnson said. “My philosophy (is) sometimes less is more. At this time of year, you want to create that atmosphere where the energy’s high and we’ve had that for a couple weeks.”

Wisconsin defense under the radar, will be tested at Minnesota

With all the offensive accolades the Badgers receive, there’s another aspect of their game that often goes unnoticed: defense.

While people know about goaltender Jessie Vetter, the rest of the defense also has performed well all year, something that has impressed Johnson.

“It probably feels sort of like they’re the left out group in regards to things that are written about our hockey team,” Johnson said. “I think they’ve come along very nicely. If you look at the statistics, we do a pretty good job on our own end.”

As well as the Wisconsin defense has played this season, it will be faced with one of its toughest challenges yet in facing a Minnesota offense that averages better than five goals per contest.

Especially with the game being on the road, it will be important for the UW defense to perform well to keep the Gophers off the scoreboard and keep the fans from getting loud.

Still, Johnson trusts his defense to shut down the potent Minnesota offense.

“This weekend’s games, we’re going to get tested,” Johnson said. “Minnesota in the last month has put up some pretty impressive numbers offensively.

“We’ll get tested, but I like what they’ve done,” he continued. “They’ve grown, and I think they’ve matured and certainly have developed into a good defensive corps.”

Wisconsin will have its hands full this weekend trying to shut down the Gophers twin freshmen, Monique and Jocelyne Lamoureux.

The sisters lead Minnesota with 31 and 18 goals, respectively. The point totals — 57 for Monique and 47 for Jocelyne — rank them first and third in the WCHA in scoring.

“They’re very dynamic,” Johnson said of the sisters. “The best analogy is they play like men … in a game where you can have contact and you can body check on the men’s side where we can’t, they play aggressive.

“What they really bring to the table is that offensive punch, and certainly, Monique has put up numbers this year and scored goals that are highlight reel-type goals.”