Domination.

Of all the superlative words that could describe the 2006-07 Wisconsin women’s hockey team, only that really encapsulates what the Badgers did en route to their second national title.

Consider this: UW only had one loss, tied or broke 18 NCAA records and had two goaltenders with goals against averages under 1.00.

Numbers don’t always tell the story, but in this case, the statistics are enough. Wisconsin outscored its opponents by just over three goals per game to lead the nation in scoring margin. They were first in power play and penalty kill percentage. The Badgers gave up an NCAA-best 36 goals in 41 games, never gave up more than three goals in a single game and posted 18 shutouts. Nobody scored more than UW’s 166 goals that season.

Led by senior Sara Bauer’s 72 points (24-48-72), the Badgers had four players in the top 10 nationally in total points on the season. All but two players on the team registered at least an assist on the season — even sophomore goaltender Jessie Vetter had two assists.

UW’s goaltending tandem of Vetter and senior Christine Dufour helped the Badgers lead the nation in scoring defense at 0.88 goals against per game. UW went 36-1-4 that season, the only blemish being a 0-2 loss to Minnesota-Duluth Nov. 24, 2006. The Badgers started the season 13-0-1, and after their only loss, finished the season on a 26-game unbeaten streak. Highlights included a 10-0 win at Robert Morris and a 2-1 OT win at No. 7 UMD in early February.

Wisconsin’s biggest hurdle on its path to the title was its first game of the NCAA Tournament, a triple-OT battle against Harvard at the Kohl Center. Harvard goaltender Brittany Martin almost single-handedly kept the Crimson in the game, making 67 saves — the sixth-highest single-game total in NCAA women’s D-I history.

UW’s Jinelle Zaug finally broke the stalemate, scoring after 127:09 minutes of play to send the Badgers to the semifinals after the second-longest women’s college hockey game ever.

With the win, UW head coach Mark Johnson would return to Lake Placid, N.Y., where he was a member of the “Miracle on Ice” team 17 years ago. The Badgers would face much less adversity there, cruising to a 4-0 win over St. Lawrence and avenging their only loss with a 4-1 victory over UMD in the title game.

The Wisconsin women won three national titles in the 2000s — or half of UW’s total team championships during the decade. While all three seasons were great successes, the second championship stood head and shoulders above the rest. With a second consecutive national title and 18 NCAA records set, the 2006-07 women’s hockey team is easily the team of the decade at UW — if not everywhere else, too.

Honorable mentions: 2005-06 men’s hockey, 2008-09 women’s hockey, 2006-07 men’s basketball, 2000 volleyball.

UW athletics saw a lot of good years this decade and a few great ones. The 2006 men’s hockey title team did a good job to earn the program’s sixth championship, while the volleyball team’s run to the title game was also great. The UW men’s basketball team earned its first No. 1 AP ranking in 2007, but lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.