Despite all the ups and downs for the Wisconsin women’s hockey team this year, the one mainstay for the group has been forward Brooke Ammerman.

Ammerman, a sophomore from River Vale, N.J., has been the main scoring threat for the team this season. However, after one look at the stat sheet, it would appear she is the first, second and third option for the Badger offense.

Although the team has struggled at times, especially in the first game of each series, Ammerman has played consistently well the entire season. Not only has the forward led the team in goals but she has more than twice the scoring total of the next Badger.

“She’s an extremely gifted player,” UW junior Geena Prough said. “She has great hands — she’s able to make that move that makes the defensemen bite and then she comes in the back of the net.”

Never was this more apparent than during Wisconsin’s sweep of then-undefeated Minnesota. With time running out in the second period, Ammerman took a faceoff pass and drove toward the net, wristing the game-winning goal with 2.8 seconds left.

Despite her sophomore status, she is playing well beyond her years. According to Wisconsin head coach Tracey DeKeyser, the offensive arsenal that Ammerman displays is rare to see from young players.

“Those at the pretty elite level can do it early on in their college career,” DeKeyser said. “She’s pretty fortunate to come in as a freshmen and contribute right away.”

As a freshman, Ammerman was second on the team in goals with 27, including a four-goal game against Syracuse. Not to be outdone, she has already tallied 11 goals this year, including another four-goal barrage against Wayne State.

The team has needed Ammerman more than ever this season, as the Badgers have dragged their way to an 8-5-1 start. Since many players from last year’s title squad graduated or joined the national team, Ammerman is one of the few remnants from the core of the 2008-09 group.

“With the Olympians gone, other people have had a chance to step up,” Prough said. “I think that she took that role with open arms and she wants to pay well and she is playing well.”

When the time comes, Ammerman will also likely don the Team USA jersey. Last year, she was an assistant captain for the Under-18 team that took home the world title.

According to Ammerman, her time at UW will be vital toward playing in the 2012 Olympic Games.

“My dream one day is to be on the national team,” Ammerman said. “I think if I keep working hard, and being at a great program at Wisconsin and playing with great players, … I think they can help me get to that level.”

Part of what has aided Ammerman in the process has been a hockey education from the North American Hockey Academy. The Vermont school, which functions as a prep school for promising hockey stars, allowed Ammerman to play year-round.

As a captain on that team, Ammerman also put up ridiculous numbers, scoring 62 goals and tallying 118 points in her junior season. During her sophomore year, Ammerman put away 77 goals in just 62 games.

“My whole life I’ve been told I was a scoring threat,” Ammerman said. “I think last season with coach Johnson reiterating how I needed to create offense — that’s pretty much my job on the team — I think that reassured me of being able to be creative.”

When Ammerman continued her dominance from NAHA over to Wisconsin, she quickly gained the notice of coaches.

“We started to see a pattern in the first couple months of her freshman campaign,” DeKeyser said. “We started to recognize her abilities at the college level and tried to fit her in to the game plan accordingly.”

The strategy has worked for Ammerman, as she is not only tied for the best plus/minus on the team but she also has recorded 20 more shots than any other Badger. Being the key to the Badger offense, she also distributes the puck effectively, tallying six assists on the year.

Despite her success, the team’s offense remains an enigma, outshooting opponents almost every night but still losing on a consistent basis. According to Ammerman, the unit will return to last year’s form sooner than people may think.

“I think we’re just starting to roll a little bit,” Ammerman said. “I think we’re playing a lot better. Once we start sweeping some teams, we’ll have some fun with it.”