As an offensive juggernaut throughout the regular season, Wisconsin women’s hockey rarely had trouble scoring goals. But in the biggest game of the season, in the first round of the NCAA tournament, the Badgers’ prolific offense met its match.
It took until midway through the third period, but Wisconsin eventually took a late lead on a breakaway shorthanded goal courtesy of Hilary Knight and never looked back.
But Wisconsin’s defense shined as the real difference maker Saturday evening in its 3-1 victory over Mercyhurst, as all three UW goals came directly off turnovers.
“I think our defensemen did a great job,” sophomore goaltender Alex Rigsby said. “There was a lot of back checking, especially with our forwards as well, but our defensemen, they definitely broke up a lot of plays.”
The Badgers’ defense prevented Mercyhurst from putting a single shot on goal until nearly 15 minutes into the game, showing its toughness early on. An impressive feat in any game, but particularly against a Mercyhurst squad that averages 42 shots on goal a game.
“[The defensemen] do a great job every game,” Rigsby said. “That’s huge for me every single game, so it definitely makes my job easier.”
Having great play from defensemen is a luxury for any goalie, but not seeing many shots on goal can also make it difficult to remain focused.
“It was definitely tough not seeing some shots for awhile,” Rigsby said. “I think the hardest ones were in the first period where I don’t think I saw a shot for the first 15 minutes, because our team had so much energy and was keeping it in [Mercyhurst’s] zone. It’s also tougher in that situation, but you just have to stay focused throughout the entire game.”
The lack of shots on goal early in the game may have had something to do with Mercyhurst’s only goal of the game. It came on a deep wrist shot goal by Kelley Steadman with about 40 seconds left in the second period, catching nearly everyone in the Kohl Center off guard, including Rigsby.
The goal remained one of few highlights for Mercyhurst, as Wisconsin put up three scores on the Lakers, all caused by stingy defense.
Playing for the right to move on to the Frozen Four in Duluth, Minn., both teams played with high intensity and physical play. That physicality led to five penalties for each team, presenting plenty of opportunities for power play goals. Despite numerous good looks at the net, UW couldn’t capitalize on the power play, but Wisconsin’s defense proved to be its best offense.
It began with junior forward Briana Decker midway through the first period, when she recorded the Badgers’ first goal after stealing the puck in Mercyhurst’s zone. The next goal didn’t come until two periods later, when Carolyne Prevost snatched the puck from Mercyhurst with the Badgers shorthanded. Prevost’s turnover led to a two-on-one breakaway where she found Knight for the game-winning goal.
Even UW’s third goal – an empty net goal – came off a turnover forced by the Badgers’ defense.
“Certainly a big part of the game is when you talk about managing the puck and making sure you’re taking care of it in certain situations and areas on the ice,” head coach Mark Johnson said. “And if you don’t do a very good job in those areas, it leaves the other team transitioning and maybe getting outnumbered in situations.”
As a senior, it’s a sweet ending for Knight’s career at the Kohl Center. Even in the toughest of games, she knows how to will her team to victory. And she did just that – scoring the game-winner Saturday night.
“You have to take the bounces as they come, and fortunately for us we got bounces on the turnovers and capitalized on them,” Knight said. “With any game it has its own story, and you just have to figure out what opportunities are presented to you and take advantage of them, and I think we did a good job of that tonight.”
