The new-look Wisconsin Badgers take the ice Saturday to kick off a two-game series with Minnesota State, playing without standout seniors Laila Edwards and Kirsten Simms as both recover from lower-body
injuries. It also marks the final two games before both men’s and women’s hockey host top-five Minnesota teams for simultaneous Border Battles.
For most teams, losing the nation’s top returning point and goal scorers would be a death blow, but No. 1 Wisconsin (8-0, 4-0 WCHA) just marches on. Edwards has been out since October 12, while Simms left last weekend’s Ice Breaker Tournament championship early in the first period—on her first shift, to be exact. The Badgers still played what head coach Mark Johnson called their most complete game from start to finish in a 4-0 win over Union.
Wisconsin will need to continue putting solid games together, minus two of their stars, as both Edwards and Simms are expected to be on the shelf a little while longer. Both were selected to join Team USA for the 2025 Hockey Rivalry Series against Team Canada, with games taking place November 6 and 8, and December 10 and 13. Edwards is at least expected back for the December games, while Simm’s status is not yet determined. A prognosis hasn’t been shared, but coach Johnson seems to at least indicate she will return.
Joining Edwards and Simms on Team USA are Lacey Eden, Caroline Harvey, and Ava McNaughton. Former Badgers Hillary Knight, Britta Curl-Salemme, Jesse Compher, Casey O’Brien, and Anna Wilgren are also rostered. The Winter Olympics team is not finalized, but Wisconsin will be missing some key pieces while they wear the Team USA sweater in Italy, along with some sporadic national team duties in the meantime, in a scheduling move that “doesn’t make any sense at all,” according to Mark Johnson.
Fortunately, Wisconsin is built for this, boasting more depth than anybody in college hockey. It’s not Laila Edwards or Kirsten Simms who lead the Badgers in goals; it’s junior Cassie Hall, averaging a goal per game. Sophomore Maggie Scannell has seven helpers and looks like she’s taking the next step after a strong freshman season. Junior Kelly Gorbatenko is a double-digit point scorer and is starting to look like an unstoppable force on the ice. Budding freshman Adéla Šapovalivová is beginning to come into her own as the top center for the top-ranked team. And there are plenty of other youngsters waiting in the wings.
All that to say, if anybody is capable of absorbing injuries to key players and some extended absences for international play, it’s Wisconsin. We’ll get a little taste of what to expect in this weekend’s series against Minnesota State.
The Mavericks (5-3, 1-3 WCHA) come in unranked but receiving votes in the USCHO polls. They started on a four-game winning streak before dropping two to Minnesota Duluth and splitting with newly-ranked St. Thomas. Much like the men’s team against Alaska, these are games the Badgers should be able to handle, but they can’t get caught looking ahead to the Minnesota matchup. With the added emphasis on filling in for some key players, there is more than enough incentive to dial in for this series.
Getting experience for the youth movement won’t be a bad thing, and the new rotations could pay dividends by giving Wisconsin a head start on adapting to life around the Team USA schedule. The women’s hockey season ends in March, and the Badgers are a unanimous number one for a reason—they’ve all been there, done that when it comes to winning big games. Everyone knows what they bring to the table. The goal is to stay healthy and play great hockey at the end of February.
There will be plenty of time to find out what they have in the tank, but for now, it’s just a little taste of what the future holds when they take on Minnesota State without two All-Americans.
Game Info
Date: October 25-26
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Place: Madison, WI | LaBahn Arena
TV: B1G+ | Radio: 1070 AM
