As the Wisconsin women’s hockey team prepares for this weekend’s Frozen Four in Duluth, Minn., sisters Brooke and Brittany Ammerman could be playing together for the last time. It will be the final weekend as a Badger for Brooke, who is a senior on the team.
Last season, Wisconsin beat Boston University 4-1 to win the national championship. Both Brooke and Brittany would like nothing more than to repeat last season and celebrate a title together for one final time. For both sisters, it was an experience they will never forget.
“It was really special,” Brooke said. “Our family is really close and they were there to enjoy it there with us as well. It’s something you dream of, and hopefully we can do it again this year.”
Brittany, a sophomore on the team this year, said winning a championship is something many siblings do not get to experience.
“It was a feeling that you can’t really describe to anyone,” Brittany said. “We worked so hard and worked our whole lives together for that one moment. It was probably one of the best feelings I’ve had in my entire life.”
Brooke has been a key member for the Badgers since she first began her career at Wisconsin. She has scored 96 goals in her career as well as dishing out 116 assists. This season, Brooke has scored 32 goals and totaled 42 assists, both of which rank second on the team behind teammate Brianna Decker. These numbers have her ranked third in the WCHA in goals and fifth in assists.
Brooke is equally if not more effective on the power play. She leads the team in power play goals with 12, a total that also leads the WCHA. The fact that she has experienced this success with her sister makes it even more special to her.
“It was a cool experience,” Brooke said. “I don’t know how many siblings get to play with each other. Seeing how successful we’ve been makes it even more unique.”
The Ammerman sisters have many similarities, as most siblings do. Both of them are forwards on the team and also attended high school at the North American Hockey Academy, where they played together for only one season.
Despite their similarities, they also have their differences: Brooke shoots the puck right-handed, while Brittany shoots it left-handed.
Coach Mark Johnson said some of their similarities don’t necessarily have to do with their hockey skills.
“They both have a pretty good sense of humor and generally have a smile on their faces,” Johnson said. “They also like each other, which is nice considering that’s not always the case with siblings.”
Even though Brittany is only a sophomore, she already dug out a niche for herself on the team. Brittany has scored 11 goals this season while tallying 17 assists on the year. Brittany also scored a game-winning goal against Boston University in October earlier this season.
Brittany’s numbers are also similar to Brooke’s in her first two seasons at Wisconsin. Brooke scored 20 goals her sophomore year compared to Brittany’s 11 and also had 20 assists her sophomore year in comparison to the 18 assists that Brittany has this year. Brittany knows that it will be different next year without having her sister around.
“I think it will be twofold,” Brittany said. “It will be really sad that she’s gone because I’ve only experienced college with her here. It’s a great experience playing with your sister, and we’re best friends. But I also think it will be exciting to experience things on my own and have my own sort of spotlight.”
Brittany will not be the only one who will miss her older sister. The Badgers have experienced great success since the eldest Ammerman has been on the team. The Badgers have been to the Frozen Four in three of Brooke’s four seasons at Wisconsin, winning the national title – thus far – in two of them.
Johnson said it is always hard when players graduate but that it also will be an opportunity for Brittany.
“The hard part is when kids graduate who have been as successful as Brooke has been,” Johnson said. “I’ll miss those things, certainly on the ice. I’m sure Brittany will miss her, but it may be an opportunity for her to take a larger role, become more independent and become more of a leader on the team.”
“Obviously it was an awesome experience,” Brooke said. “Being able to go to the Frozen Four three times, win two national championships and be as successful as we were – I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
As successful as these two sisters have been together, they have one final shot to win that one final championship and end their experience, together, as champions.
