The No. 2 University of Wisconsin women’s hockey team (31-4-2, 20-2-2 Big Ten) will take on a challenge with the No.3 Colgate Raiders (33-5-1, 19-3-0 ECAC) in the Frozen Four semifinals Friday night from Ridder Arena in Minneapolis.
The game versus Colgate will be a single elimination match held at a neutral site and will be the first time the two teams have faced each other all season. Wisconsin has struggled on neutral ice this season comparative to their overall record, going just 2-2-0 in these games.
Wisconsin has already had an incredible year, as they were ranked No. 1 for most of the season until their loss last week in the WCHA Final Faceoff.
Colgate’s Jessie Eldridge will be the player for the Badgers to look out for in this match. The junior leads her team in both goals with 21 and points with 43 on the season.
Women’s Hockey: Badgers looks to finish season strong at WCHA Final Faceoff before NCAAs
Wisconsin goaltender Kristen Campbell will be the final line of defense against Eldridge. Campbell has been impressive on the year, recording 12 shutouts this season with her last one coming just a week ago versus Minnesota.
On offense, Baylee Wellhausen could be valuable for Wisconsin in this match as the senior has scored five of her 10 goals this season from Minneapolis, a location the Badgers have frequented four times on the year.
This game comes on the heels of an impressive victory in the NCAA Quarterfinals against rival Minnesota in Madison. Badger star Abby Roque was the leading scorer in the game with two goals for a 4-0 route. While the Badgers fell to Minnesota just a week earlier in the WCHA Final Faceoff, they were able to once again take care of business in the LaBahn Arena to finish off an undefeated home season at 17-0-0.
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Roque has been phenomenal all season, earning WCHA Offensive Player of the Year honors leading the team with 40 points and 29 assists.
If the Badgers can win tomorrow, they will advance to the championship game for the seventh time in less than two decades since the tournament began. The championship will be on Sunday versus the winner of Ohio State and Clarkson, who the Badgers lost to 3-0 in last year’s finals.
Puck drop will be at 7 p.m. with live coverage available on the Big Ten Network.
