As the Wisconsin women’s hockey team heads to the Frozen Four in Lake Placid, New York, head coach Mark Johnson realizes the immensity of his team’s 1-0 quadruple overtime win over Harvard.
“That’s a classic game. Those kids are going to remember that game for the rest of their lives,” he said. “It was enjoyable and it was nerve-wracking.”
Saturday night’s quarterfinal battle between Harvard and Wisconsin entertained a Kohl Center-record crowd of 5,125 people, and Johnson is thrilled that the multitude of fans saw the intense action that women’s hockey offers.
“The magnitude of the game, having it at home, having a nice crowd, you just sort of set the table and you want it to go well,” he said. “The way the story turned out made for a real nice evening and for a perfect way to leave the Kohl Center.”
If women’s hockey gains popularity in Madison, one can look directly at Saturday night’s game as a catalyst. The game set two second-place NCAA records: 43 fans shy of breaking the attendance record and 19 minutes from longest-game-ever status. The fans who stayed for the 127 minutes of hockey witnessed this season’s most dramatic sporting event in Madison, which should increase interest in women’s hockey in the future.
“If you had a script and I could write it before the game, I probably would have taken it one more overtime and probably had maybe 150 more people because you could set a couple more records,” an amused Johnson said, regarding the chance to pitch the sport to new spectators. “I like the way the evening went, especially the end result.”
Friday’s Frozen Four match up against St. Lawrence will be the second consecutive meeting between the Saints and Badgers in the NCAA semifinals. However, he believes that the toughest aspect of the NCAA Tournament is simply getting to the Frozen Four, noting that Mercyhurst has lost in the quarterfinals three straight years in overtime.
“It’s certainly the most challenging and difficult game to win,” he said.
However, Johnson recognizes that beating St. Lawrence will be no easy task, as it has the nation’s second leading scorer in junior forward Sabrina Harbec.
“Our task doesn’t get any easier,” he said. “For our upperclassmen, hopefully the experience they’ve gained in the last couple of years will help them prepare,” he said.
This week will not be the first time Johnson has set foot in Lake Placid. In the small town in 1980, Johnson was a part of the 1980 U.S.A. Olympic hockey team that defeated the U.S.S.R. on its way to winning the gold medal. In the “miracle on ice” game against the Soviets, Johnson scored two of the four U.S. goals.
“It’s not about me. It’s about the team right now. It’s about the players. They’ve worked hard,” he said. “I had my thrill there about 27 years ago.”
