Just like Wisconsinites who grow up envisioning their first Lambeau Leap or Bostonians who dream of playing in the shadow of the Green Monster, many girls in Minnesota spend their childhood idolizing Gopher hockey icons.
This weekend, though, seven University of Wisconsin women’s hockey players who hail from the “Land of 10,000 Lakes” will take the ice donning cardinal and white, not maroon and gold.
“Growing up in Minnesota you go to the Gopher games, and you want to be a Gopher,” sophomore defenseman Malee Windmeier (Champlin, Minn.) said of her childhood watching UM. “It’s a fun rivalry to go back and play the players that you’ve grown up playing. Play in front of a lot of people that you know, play in front of your family. It’s a fun atmosphere to go back and play in.”
Along with sophomore defenseman Anne Dronen (Chaska), sophomore forward Maria Evans (Chanhassen), senior forwards Kayla Hagen (Crosslake) and Angie Keseley (St. Louis Park), junior goaltender Alannah McCready (Blaine) and freshman goaltender Nikki Kaasa (St. Cloud), Windmeier will be simultaneously venturing on a road trip and heading the way of home.
Dronen, who last year scored the game-winner against Minnesota, said the trip is a highlight of her season.
“Going back to Minnesota is probably my favorite — my favorite trip of the year,” Dronen said. “Just because it’s home. My whole family’s there. … I have aunts and uncles coming in from the Dakotas and people coming over from Wisconsin to watch. It’s a great atmosphere to play in.”
In addition to providing a great environment, the Gophers home rink, Ridder Arena, has proved to be a friendly confine for the Badgers. Since going 2-10 in Minneapolis in the first six years of the program, Wisconsin has not lost there since the 2004-05 season — compiling a 6-0-1 record during that stretch.
Keseley attributed the recent success to the high energy level generated by the rivalry.
“I think our team just gets ready to play them,” Keseley said. “It’s always a big game, and our team gets really focused. This [weekend] is a huge game, so hopefully we come out on top.”
One factor that contributes to the intensity of the rivalry is the mutual success shared by the programs. The Gophers hoisted the NCAA Championship trophy twice, in 2004 and 2005, as have the Badgers, in 2006 and 2007. Moreover, this weekend’s matchup marks the second time this season the teams have met boasting the No. 1 and No. 2 rankings. The teams are also tied atop the WCHA, and Nos. 1 and 2 in a number of statistical categories, including scoring offense, scoring margin and combined special teams.
Another dynamic which adds to the competition is familiarity. Several Badgers have gotten acquainted with various Gophers on national teams, while the seven border-crossing Badgers will be squaring off against faces recognizable from their high school days.
“I know quite a few of them from just playing on summer teams with them,” Keseley said. “It’s always a fun game to play against them — it’s always competitive — but it’s also fun at the same time.”
Windmeier, for one, will get the opportunity to play former high school teammate, Terra Rasmussen.
“It’s fun because I’ve always played with Terra, and now we’re playing against each other,” Windmeier said. “It’s a fun chance to really go against each other and be competitive on the ice, but be able to laugh about it off the ice.”
Interestingly, Minnesota’s roster features no one from the Badger State, highlighting the rival states’ different youth sports cultures.
“I grew up playing high school hockey,” Windmeier noted. “Everyone here, when you say, ‘I played high school hockey,’ they’re surprised because that’s not the thing to do here. So, Minnesota is just a hockey state, I think — you grow up with it.”
Nevertheless, with just two series remaining, the Badgers look to take advantage of their Minnesota imports and put themselves in a strong position to win the WCHA.
But even if they don’t, there are seven team members who can attest that you can always go home again.
