The University of Wisconsin women’s hockey program remained hot over the past weekend, tallying two more victories to improve their overall record to 10-0-0.
The team traveled to the capital of Minnesota to take on the University of St. Thomas, a quality conference opponent in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.
Power plays proved to be the difference-maker for UW on Friday. Wisconsin capitalized with three goals off them. After the first period in game one, the Badgers and the Tommies were locked in a 2–2 tie.
Forward Kirsten Simms got off to a quick start on the offensive end for UW, racking up two goals at the start of the game. St. Thomas would answer with two of their own in the first 20 minutes — utilizing a power play to earn their second goal of the evening.
From there, the Badgers outscored the Tommies 3–1 to eventually win the match. The No. 1 ranked team in the nation took advantage of three separate power plays to find the back of the net between the second and third periods.
Defenders Anna Wilgren and Katie Kotlowski each added a goal to their season totals in the middle portion of the match. Wilgren proved to have the game-winning goal after St. Thomas responded with one of their own to tie the game.
Then it was forward Britta Curl — who lit the lamp for an eighth consecutive game — to put this battle to rest. UW went on to win 5–3 in an offensive shootout.
The following day, the Badgers’ offense was ignited by a power play once again. Early in the first period, forward Lacey Eden scored a goal and UW never looked back.
A flawless performance from goalkeeper Ava McNaughton, another goal from Curl and stingy defense from the Badgers led to a 3–0 victory.
It marked UW’s fifth consecutive two-game series sweep of the season and they have now outscored their opponents 74–10 in the first month of play. Despite not earning the unanimous vote, they currently hold the No. 1 spot in the American Collegiate Hockey Association’s rankings.
The program continues their road stretch over the upcoming weekend. Starting Friday at 7 p.m., the Badgers will take on No. 11 ranked St. Cloud State University. The series will conclude with a Saturday matinee matchup at 1 p.m. against the Huskies.
