In what is surely the marquee matchup in women’s hockey to this point of the season, the top-ranked Wisconsin Badgers are still not sure who will be able to take the ice against No. 3 Minnesota.
The Badgers
are on a 10-game winning streak this year (23 games overall, a program record), and have done that lately without 2024-25 First Team All-Americans and the last two NCAA leading goal scorers, Kirsten Simms and Laila Edwards. And now the concern shifts to Laney Potter and Adéla Šapovalivová, who suffered injuries last weekend against Minnesota State.
Potter, who already matched her career high for goals in a season, went down in Saturday’s matchup and did not play on Sunday. Šapovalivová appeared to injure her wrist late in Sunday’s shutout win. Both have played key roles since losing Edwards and Simms, spending time on the top power play unit and comprising half of the nation’s best penalty killing line.
Coach Mark Johnson, as he’s understandably been all year, was vague when speaking about the new injuries, indicating they “will be back soon,” though he was quick to add he’s unclear on the definition of “soon.”
On a positive note, both Edwards and Simms resumed skating last week and returned to practice on Tuesday, indicating there is a chance Wisconsin (10-0, 6-0 WCHA) may not be as shorthanded as it seemed last weekend. I don’t anticipate the Badgers getting all four players back, but even one or two would go a long way toward keeping up with a Minnesota team eager to beat Wisconsin.
Minnesota (9-1, 5-1 WCHA) is on a tear this season, its only loss coming to No. 2 Ohio State. To the chagrin of Badger fans everywhere, Abbey Murphy is back for her fifth season and wreaking havoc wherever she goes. Already one of the most gifted players in women’s hockey, Murphy leads the NCAA with 14 goals (nearly 1.5 per game) and is on pace to shatter her career high of 33 goals in a season. She also leads the country with 22 points—Wisconsin’s Lacey Eden (17) and Caroline Harvey (16) check in at third and fourth.
The Badgers have done an exquisite job keeping Murphy at bay during their current 10-game winning streak over the Gophers. It’ll be interesting to see if they have an answer for her now that she’s taken her game to yet another level. It’s maybe the worst-kept secret in women’s hockey, but if you slow down Murphy, chances are good you’ll slow down the Gophers as a whole.
Every Border Battle is a big series, but with Minnesota’s stellar play to start the season and a battered Badger squad, I can’t help but feel they smell blood in the water. Despite staring down the unanimous number one team in the country, the Gophers are coming in with an edge and a belief they can finally be the team to trip up Wisconsin. The Badgers also own a one-game lead in the all-time head-to-head, with a record of 58-57-16, making this weekend even more consequential.
I’m not going to make any predictions about who may or may not suit up, but Kirsten Simms did post to Instagram on Thursday night a series of photos with the caption “get on your feet LaBahn,” which does make my gears start to shift. Laila Edwards is also rumored to return to play for Team USA in the Rivalry Series against Canada soon, so her return could come sooner than later.
Either way, strap in this weekend, because these ladies bring the lumber and have played more than a few instant classics over the years. And with the Olympics coming in February, it may be the only time this season we see a Border Battle with something resembling a regular roster for each team—though it seems they’re destined to meet again in either the WCHA or NCAA tournaments.
Both games stream on B1G+, with Friday’s game also available on Fox9+ and locally on Television Wisconsin, Channel 3.2 across southern Wisconsin.
Game Info
Date: October 31-November 1
Time: Friday – 6:00 p.m. | Saturday – 2:00 p.m.
Place: Madison, WI | LaBahn Arena
TV: B1G+ | Radio: 1070 AM
