It was a bittersweet weekend for the Wisconsin women’s hockey team as the smiles of the Culver’s Camp Randall Hockey Classic were replaced with heated frustration after falling Sunday to Bemidji State 2-0 in the series finale.

The two games of the series were defined by two shots on goal for Wisconsin. One went in and the other did not.

The Badgers entered the weekend with the mantra of scoring first and scoring early. That maxim seemed to accurately depict what kind of series it would be.

Early in the first period of Sunday’s game, freshman forward Brianna Decker created an opportunity to fulfill that gameplan within close proximity of the goal but her shot hit the post and bounced out.

A few minutes later BSU’s Montana Vichorek shot the puck from the blue line and past Wisconsin goalie Becca Ruegsegger to jump out to an early lead, eight minutes in.

For Wisconsin, being down early was exactly what they hoped to prevent.

“The tone of the game was we need to score first and Decker hits the pipe early in the game,” assistant head coach Peter Johnson said. “The worst thing that could happen for us is that they would score first and they scored first and got a lead, so it was an uphill battle from there.”

The first eight minutes seemed to define the rest of the game, as Wisconsin’s forwards repeatedly created chances but came up just shy.

For the majority of the game the Badgers kept the puck in Beaver territory. Despite this, BSU tallied another goal three minutes into the third period when BSU’s Erin Cody slid the puck into the net for their second power play goal of the game.

The story of Saturday’s game, however, was quite different, perhaps because Wisconsin got off to a fast and positive start.

Just over three minutes into the game, junior forward Kelly Nash sent a deep pass to sophomore forward Carolyne Prevost in stride, who was alone down the ice. Prevost took on goalie Alana McElhinney one-on-one and flipped the puck past her backhanded.

“I think that was really important… just to get them on their heels right away, and I think that brought the crowd into it right away and got the team fired up,” Prevost said. “I think that was one of the biggest factors, getting that lead early, because we’ve been having trouble with that all year.”

Prevost’s goal seemed to be the defining moment for the Badgers on Saturday, as the gas pedal was floored for the rest of the game.

In front of an announced crowd of 8,263 at Camp Randall Stadium, Wisconsin scored in many fashions. Decker blasted a shot from the right circle that soared into the top left corner of the net, senior forward Jasmine Giles pushed one by on a power play, and Wisconsin’s first line of Decker, Nash and Prevost formed a textbook three-on-one advantage against the goaltender that featured crisp passing and ended with a goal.

Decker passed to Nash at the center, who then sent it to Prevost on her left side. Prevost relayed the puck back to Decker before knocking it into the back of the net.

For interim head coach Tracey DeKeyser and several players, the three-on-one was reminiscent of last year’s line that featured Olympians Hilary Knight and Erika Lawler.

“That one reminded me of the goal from last year’s Frozen Four against Mercyhurst… the three-on-one with Lawler, Knight and (Angie) Keseley and it was Decker’s line — that tic-tac-toe, the attack triangle. It was textbook.”

Wisconsin ran away with it under the blue skies at Camp Randall Stadium as Nash and senior Kyla Sanders would add another goal apiece en route to a 6-1 victory.

While holding the trophy awarded to the team for their efforts, Giles was nearly at a loss for words when asked to describe the moment.

“We were just so excited to get out there and then to just have all these fans here, I mean, it was amazing, it was a dream come true. It’s something we’ll none of us will ever forget,” she said. “It just is unbelievable. I can’t even describe it, to tell you the truth.”

After Wisconsin participated in an exhibition game against the 2010 U.S. Olympic team, DeKeyser called it the highlight of her career. But when asked where the Outdoor Classic ranked, she admitted to having a new favorite.

“This one beat that one,” she said. “Not only because we won — we didn’t lose 9-0 — but because it was a unique once in a lifetime opportunity. That is now my favorite moment from the season.”