The Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team returns today, kicking off the defense of back-to-back NCAA championships with a trip to St. Lawrence, where they will debut a retooled roster for the 2026-27 season.
The No. 1 Wisconsin Badgers do not have a lengthy history with St. Lawrence, last facing the Saints in 2024 with a trip to the Frozen Four on the line, a matchup in which Wisconsin prevailed with a 4-0 shutout victory. The Badgers are 4-1 all-time against St. Lawrence, with this iteration marking
their first trip to Canton, New York, since 2002.
The Saints struggled last year, posting an overall record of 11-21-3 while going 1-14-1 against ranked teams. Their lone tie in ranked matchups resulted in a shootout loss against Clarkson. St. Lawrence’s only ranked win came against Quinnipiac, a team Wisconsin beat 6-0 to advance to last year’s Frozen Four.
The season opener marks the beginning of a new era for Wisconsin women’s hockey, led by Captain Kelly Gorbatenko and Alternate Captains Ava McNaughton, Laney Potter, and Maggie Scannell. Caroline Harvey will not be patrolling the blue line for the first time in four years, surely a welcome sight to Badger opponents. Wisconsin will usher in a new era without Chloe Baker, Lacey Eden, Claire Enright, Laila Edwards, Vivian Jungels, Marianne Picard, Kirsten Simms, and McKayla Zilisch, in addition to Harvey.
All in all, 15 players return from the championship team a year ago, joined by eight incoming freshmen and junior transfer Lauren Johnson, a defender from Union College. You can read up on some of the new additions before the game by checking out our story about the new-look roster posted earlier this week.
With the offseason officially over, the new-look roster will be looking to make a splash on their first road trip of the season before returning home to raise the 2025-26 NCAA Championship banner against Boston University next weekend.
Game Info
Game 1
Date: September 25
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Place: Canton, New York | Appleton Arena
TV: ESPN+ | Radio: 1070 AM
Game 2
Date: September 26
Time: 5:00 p.m.
Place: Canton, New York | Appleton Arena
TV: ESPN+ | Radio: 1070 AM
