Saturday night was a prime example of a heated rivalry between the University of Wisconsin women’s hockey team and the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks.

Traditionally, the history between these two teams has always led to a fierce battle, but there was something different about Saturday’s matchup. From the moment the puck dropped, it was clear both teams were fighting to keep their Western Collegiate Hockey Association reputation in tact.

The battle between the No. 1-ranked Badgers (22-2-1-0, 17-2-1-0 WCHA) and the No. 4-ranked Hawks (12-8-5, 9-6-4 WCHA) was intense, and closely matched, which resulted in a lack of quality scoring opportunities throughout most of the first period. It would be during the second half of the first period that Wisconsin’s Sarah Nurse would help get her team on the board for the night.

But, unlike many Wisconsin games in the past, UW had a hard time pulling away from the Fighting Hawks entirely. It would be shortly after Nurse’s goal that North Dakota would answer back with one of their own, tying up the game heading into the second period.

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With such evenly matched rosters, and a rivalry that dates to the beginning of the WCHA, tensions rose entering the second period. Play began to get chippy between the two teams, and penalties were handed out left and right through the remainder of the game. Most of the penalties would see a player from both team taken out, resulting in fewer power plays on the night.

Senior defenseman Jenny Ryan certainly saw an intense game, since Saturday’s matchup was highly reliant on a Wisconsin defense keeping the game in check. But, even with the standard of play dropping with each passing period, Ryan knew the Badgers still had the skill to topple North Dakota.

“We keep reminding each other to stick to our game,” Ryan said. “We don’t usually play a physical game like that. We know that we’re strong enough to [play a physical opponent] and we know that we’re faster than them, so we just started to use that to our advantage.”

When all was said and done, the Badgers finally managed to secure their win, thanks to a third-period goal by Annie Pankowski. With such a physical game behind them, Wisconsin head coach Mark Johnson was proud of how his team handled one of their hardest matchups to date.

“It was a physical game, and I give them credit,” Johnson said. “They came in and they played hard, and they gave themselves an opportunity. It was a pretty good college game. There was a physical component that we haven’t seen a lot this year, but I thought that we battled through and fought through it.”

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It was clear from the moment the puck dropped again Sunday afternoon that a physical battle was about to ensue.

While both teams might have left Saturday’s contest with some unresolved issues between them, it was clear only one team had let their issues go. North Dakota was aggressive, to an almost astonishing level, from the minute the clock started.

While North Dakota’s style of play might have been uncalled for, there was also a clear lack of control from the referees officiating the game. Both Saturday and Sunday’s contest showed a clear absence of authority from the officials, and tensions continued to climb with each missed call.

In a rivalry game as fierce as this, good and timely calls are the difference between an organized battle of skills and mutiny on the ice. The disorganized and unpredictable calls from the referees did not mitigate frustration between the two teams.

The lack of calling resulted in the injury of two key Wisconsin players.

A North Dakota player hit Mellissa Channell hard against the boards during period one. While Channell did come back later that period after seeing UW athletic trainer Dennis Helwig, she would not return after the first period intermission.

As if losing Channell wasn’t enough for this defensive core, Helwig would also escort Lauren Williams off the ice at the beginning of the third period. Williams was injured behind the play and was immobile on the ice for a few minutes, before finally getting up and skating off to the tunnel.

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With two defensemen out, and only Maddie Rowe left to put in the lineup, Johnson was forced to move Sam Cogan to defense, in hopes of rescuing an out-of-control game. Even with the last-minute changes, the Wisconsin defense core handled the situation well, managing to hold North Dakota back for the final 20 minutes of play and sealing the 2-1 victory on the night.

“The best part is we won the game,” Johnson said. “They’ll be tired and they’ll be bruised up, but generally if you win those games it doesn’t hurt as much as if you lose them. They should be walking out of here with their heads held high, feeling proud of themselves.”