When Mark Johnson and the University of Wisconsin women’s hockey team head to Minneapolis this weekend for a matchup with Minnesota, more will be at stake than just bragging rights in a historic rivalry.
Fans will witness an exciting No. 1 versus No. 2 matchup at a critical stage of the season, with serious playoff implication both nationally and in the WCHA. The No. 2 Gophers are in relentless pursuit of the top-ranked Badgers in the national rankings, and the series will likely break the stalemate between the two rivals atop the WCHA standings.
With a half dozen Minnesota natives on the UW squad, this will not only be the most pivotal series for the Badgers, but also the most exciting. Minnesota native and Badger defenseman Malee Windmeier looks forward to the opportunity to play in front of familiar faces this weekend in the Twin Cities.
“It’s a lot of fun. The atmosphere is great. I grew up watching games at Ridder (Arena),” Windmeier said of this weekend’s series. “So it’s fun to go play there in front of family and friends.”
Windmeier and her fellow defensemen will have quite a task in attempting to neutralize a potent Gopher attack. Not unlike the Badgers, the Gopher’s attack is spearheaded by a mix of youthful skill and experienced savvy.
“They have a lot of good forwards, we just have to focus on not giving them a lot of space and a lot of time,” Windmeier said of the Gopher’s skilled front-liners. “We just really [have] to step up at the blue-line and not let them into our zone.”
Gopher head coach Brad Frost’s squad has benefited greatly from the additions of superstar freshman sisters Monique and Jocelyne Lamoureux. The Lamoureux sisters lead the Gophers with 57 and 47 points respectively. Adding veteran leadership is Gigi Marvin, the Gophers four-year standout, who has 39 points.
Windmeier expects these three gunners to be of high priority as Coach Johnson and his squad attempt to use their team speed, discipline and goaltending to decelerate a swift Minnesota offense.
“All three are very good. They have good hands and are just great forwards so we just have to play them respectfully,” Windmeier said of Gopher’s offensive trio.
Wisconsin, however, has no shortage of offensive prowess itself. The Badgers’ top-line of seniors, Angie Keseley, Erika Lawler and sophomore Hillary Knight notched a combined 21 points last weekend when the Badgers hosted Ohio State. The Keseley-Lawler-Knight combination has played together for two years now, Keseley and Lawler for four, and this line, along with the Gophers, is among the best in the nation.
Keseley, a native of St. Louis Park, a suburb of Minneapolis, Minn., talked about the chemistry of the Badgers’ most reliable offensive force.
“Our line is cooking really well right now. I have played with Erika for four years and with Hillary since she’s been here,” Keseley said. “We are just really comfortable with each other both on and off the ice, and I think we compliment each other well.”
Keseley, who was a much heralded recruit coming out of high school in 2005, also greatly anticipates this weekend’s matchup.
“I was interested in both [Wisconsin] and Minnesota but in the end I thought this was the best place for me,” Keseley said. “It is a little weird to think about being on the other side, but it’s also fun to go back and play.”
However, a trip to the Twin Cities to play your archrival, a team nearly identical in stature and statistics, in a border battle between No. 1 and No. 2 teams is the very definition of collegiate athletics.
“It’s going to be a great matchup,” Keseley said. “Both teams are very good, and I think, like the [games] here in Madison, it will probably come down to one or two goals.”
