University of Wisconsin women’s hockey team (26-1-1, 20-1-1 WCHA) is hitting the road to take on Ohio State (9-18-1, 5-16-1 WCHA) this weekend in a series that may prove to be a rather unique obstacle for the Badgers.
Wisconsin will not only have to battle the Ohio State’s crowd, but their smaller rink will result in a faster-paced game. For the first time this season, the Badgers will have to make adjustments to cope with quicker play and less room to work with.
“We are a very good skating team and I think that the smaller rink [at Ohio State] kind of confines us,” junior forward Sarah Nurse said. “It’s a little frustrating to play in, especially because we are used to the ice surface at LaBahn.”
Stamina will be crucial, as Wisconsin will need to be fresh on every shift in order to maintain momentum.
“There is not really a lot of time or space, it’s more like watching ping pong where it [the puck] just goes back and forth,” head coach Mark Johnson said.
So, it will be important for Wisconsin’s three leading goal scorers — Nurse and sophomore forwards Emily Clark and Annie Pankowski — to stay fresh throughout the entire game, and remain a constant threat to OSU’s sophomore goaltender Alex Lamere.
The Badgers’ second and third lines will need also to be ready at all times to hop in and provide fresh legs.
Key Matchup
This week’s key matchup is a battle between pairs. Wisconsin’s senior defenseman Courtney Burke and junior defenseman Jenny Ryan will have their hands full against OSU’s senior forward Kendall Curtis and junior forward Claudia Kepler.
As the two leading defensemen in terms of plus/minus for the Badgers, Burke and Ryan will have to be relentless in their efforts to wear down the Buckeye’s two leading scorers.
Ohio State’s Kendall Curtis has netted 13 goals and her teammate Claudia Kepler has accounted for 11 more. The dynamic pair are the only two players who have reached double digits in scoring for the Buckeyes this season.
What’s on the Line
Wisconsin will certainly have more to lose this weekend as the team is trying to maintain their five-point lead over Minnesota, who are second in the WCHA standings.
The Badgers have also quietly constructed an impressive eight-game win streak on the back of their refocused efforts since losing their first game of the season back in December.
On the contrary, the Buckeyes will be playing with everything to gain against the visiting Badgers — a chance to play spoiler against the No. 2 team in the country that was responsible for handing them two 0-7 and 0-8 drubbings earlier this year.
“They’ll be a tough team, and they want to beat us that is for sure,” junior forward Sydney McKibbon said. “We are ranked No. 2 right now so I think that every team in our league kind of wants to be one to knock us of off that, so we have that in the back of our minds.”
The first puck drops 6 p.m. Friday night and then again at 3 p.m. Saturday at the the OSU Ice Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
