The No. 1 ranked University of Wisconsin women’s hockey team (31-1-2, 25-1-2 WCHA) took one step further in their historic season, defeating the Bemidji State Beavers (6-29-1, 4-24-0) on Friday night. Coming off a victorious series sweep in Bemidji to end the regular season, the Badgers picked up right where they had left off.
Composed of the eight Western Collegiate Hockey Association sides, the postseason tournament starts with four best-of-three series matchups, before the four winners progress to a single elimination “Final Faceoff.” On Friday, all four of the higher-seeded teams (Wisconsin, Ohio State, Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minnesota-Duluth) won their opening postseason games.
Extending their unbeaten streak to 21 against the Beavers, along with maintaining their perfect seasonal home ice record of (15-0-1), the Badgers were pleased with their collective performance as the postseason brings a new level of intensity to LaBahn Arena.
Opening the first period, Wisconsin outshot their competition 16-5 on goal, though the early highlight was junior Vivian Jungels’ sliding stop in transition. This momentum was carried to the closing seconds of period one, as sophomore Kelly Gorbatenko drove home the eventual game-winner at 19:22, assisted by freshman Maggie Scannell and junior Caroline Harvey.
Coming off the recent 6-1 victories over Bemidji State on Feb. 21 and 22, Wisconsin did not seem too threatened. They returned from the locker room blazing, keeping most of the competition at the attacking end of the ice. The second period wore down the Beavers’ defense and a power play opportunity granted the Badgers a goal to double the lead. With 15:22 left in the second period, sophomore Cassie Hall and senior Sarah Wozniewicz assisted redshirt sophomore Claire Enright for her seventh goal of the season.
Enright grabbed the puck on the right wing and slotted a near-post finish.
Shortly after at 17:55, redshirt senior Lacey Eden added protection with a third and final goal, assisted by a laser of a pass from Harvey and fellow fifth-year, Casey O’Brien.
While the Badgers outshot the Beavers 19-0 on frame in the second period, Bemidji State was not down and out yet. They grasped on throughout the third period, but two power play attempts saw no comeback come to fruition, and the Badgers enjoyed a game one victory.
To recap, the Badgers outshot Bemidji State 106-26 (45-12 on goal) and dominated faceoffs 33-15. This series is not over, as Wisconsin can only secure a trip to the WCHA semifinals with a victory on either Saturday, March 1, at 3 p.m., or Sunday, March 2, at 2 p.m. These games are scheduled for the La Bahn Arena, however game three will only be played if necessary.
Head coach Mark Johnson can comfortably look forward to the WCHA Final Faceoff, coming up on March 7-8 in Duluth, Minnesota. This will be composed of all four winners of the opening best-of-three matchups. Wisconsin will need to win the WCHA conference tournament to secure an automatic bid to the NCAA women’s ice hockey tournament, however, the top six-ranked teams will receive at-large qualification.
