The Wisconsin women’s hockey team has more to be proud of than just earning a share of the title WCHA league champions this past weekend.
Senior forward and assistant captain Brooke Ammerman earned her 200th career point in game two of this past series at St. Cloud State, making her just the fourth player in the program’s history to achieve this milestone.
“Getting that milestone says a lot about the kind of player [Ammerman] has been,” head coach Mark Johnson said. “It was a big goal for her, but the big thing is she has been consistent each year and this being her best year of the four.”
Going into game two in St. Cloud, Ammerman knew she was just one point away from the achievement. At 9:49 in the second period, she put the puck in the net on a power play and reached that 200-point mark.
While that 200th point will be one that’s remembered, the consistency needed to reach that point is perhaps a feat in itself. Aside from Ammerman, Hilary Knight and former Badgers Meghan Duggan and Sara Bauer are the only other Wisconsin players to have ever achieved the career mark.
This season, Ammerman has scored 25 goals, helping her place second on the team in points with 62. In the St. Cloud series, she tallied three points off a goal and two assists.
For a team that has found several successful goal scorers, Ammerman’s vision on the ice has perhaps been more vital for the Badgers than her goals, as the senior currently leads the team with 37 assists.
Junior forward Brianna Decker, the team’s goal scoring leader, places great value on the ability of her linemate to find her on the ice. The chemistry between the duo on the ice is undeniable, stemming from the fact that both knew one another before coming to play at Wisconsin.
With their chemistry first developing during their time together in national hockey programs, the pair believes their friendship off the ice is what makes the two connect on it.
“We are able to joke around and have fun out there,” Decker said. “I think that is what makes our chemistry on the ice and is why we are able to find each other.”
In her four years as a Badger, Ammerman has made an impressionable mark on the program, improving her game with each new season.
As a freshman, Ammerman was named WCHA Rookie of the Week three times and placed second in goals with 27 on her way to her first national championship as a Badger. While several teammates and Johnson were away from Wisconsin to participate in the U.S. Olympic team during her sophomore year, Ammerman stayed at Wisconsin and led the team in both points and goals.
The next year, Ammerman scored the game-winning goal in the national championship game against Boston University and ranked fourth on the team with 46 points.
Ammerman’s ability to play each game with the same intensity has helped the team remain the No. 1-ranked team going into its final regular season series. Another win for the Badgers will give them sole ownership of the WCHA title.
Ammerman’s name tends to be overshadowed by some of her other successful teammates, including Decker and Knight. However, Johnson sees her senior season as an indication that she should be right there with them in the spotlight.
“If you look at her numbers this year, that speaks highly of what she has been able to do all season with a consistent effort, so she can certainly speak in the same breath as those other kids,” Johnson said. “She has done well and should get recognition for her play.”
As proud as she is for attaining 200 points, Ammerman remains focused on getting her team its second national championship in two years.
“A lot of people have talked about it, but now it is something that is in the past,” Ammerman said. “Now I just focus on getting the national championship.”
Wisconsin still has a long road ahead to achieve that ultimate goal, and continuing the successes of the regular season into the playoffs will be key.
But for now, the team still remains focused on its upcoming series against Ohio State, with the sole custody of the title “WCHA league champions” just one win away.
