The Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team passed its first big test of the year, and what a test it turned out to be. Saturday afternoon’s game against the No. 4 Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (4-2 overall,
0-2 WCHA) was one for the ages, one of those games that requires you take a few moments after to confirm what you just witnessed was, in fact, real.
Saturday’s game started slow, but was very much a back-and-forth affair. The Bulldogs scored first yet again, but the No. 1 Wisconsin Badgers (6-0 overall, 4-0 WCHA) got things going with two second-period goals to take the lead, courtesy of Kirsten Simms and Cassie Hall.
Minnesota Duluth responded with two of its own goals near the middle of the third period, and it started to look like the Badgers were on track to suffer their first loss of the season. That was until Rae Mayer was sent off for a five-minute elbowing major on Adéla Šapovalivová just outside the Bulldog’s offensive zone.
Officials missed the elbow in real time, which was surprising as Mayer went high into Šapovalivová immediately following the faceoff. Coach Mark Johnson successfully challenged the play, sending Wisconsin to the power play for the final 2:09 of game time.
After peppering standout goaltender Ève Gascon all period, Caroline Harvey tucked away the equalizer off a long rebound with 20.9 seconds remaining. It was the first goal Gascon surrendered on the power play after thwarting the five previous Badger advantages, and all but guaranteed some free hockey for the fans at LaBahn. But in the words of Lee Corso… Not so fast, my friend!
The Badgers had enough time for one final rush while still on the power play, gaining the offensive zone and throwing the kitchen sink at Gascon. The puck deflected through traffic before finding the stick of Cassie Hall, who tucked away the game-winning goal with 8.6 seconds to go and sent the Badger faithful into a frenzy.
After all the excitement on Saturday, Wisconsin made things a bit less stressful on Sunday by jumping out to an early lead and never looking back en route to a 4-0 win to complete the sweep. The Badger power play was a bit more effective in game two, as three of their four goals came with a Duluth player in the sin bin.
Gascon lived up to the billing and was tremendous all weekend, stopping 45 shots on Saturday and another 50 on Sunday, while her offense only mustered 39 shots all weekend. I don’t have confirmation, but after some cursory research, I am inclined to say that 95 saves in a single series is a feat we haven’t seen in NCAA women’s hockey, and all the more reason to be thrilled with a weekend sweep.
The voters were also impressed. Wisconsin’s nearly year-long stay as the unanimous number one in the USCHO polls came to an end last week when No. 2 Ohio State received a first-place vote, but the Badgers received all 20 first-place votes yet again after taking both games from Minnesota Duluth.
They’ll look to keep the new streak going next week in Schenectady, New York, at the Ice Breaker Tournament hosted by Union College (fun fact: Union’s head coach is Courtney Hall, sister of Cassie Hall). Wisconsin’s first opponent is Vermont, with puck drop scheduled for 11:07 a.m. on Friday. They will take on either Union or St. Anselm on Saturday. Both days of the Ice Breaker Tournament will be available on ESPN+.
