The Wisconsin women’s hockey team looks to capture its second consecutive NCAA championship this weekend at the Frozen Four in Lake Placid, New York.
Coming off a 1-0 four-overtime win against Harvard in the quarterfinals, the Badgers face St. Lawrence, a team Wisconsin beat in last year’s NCAA semifinals 1-0.
“We’re ready for the challenge. We’re not going to worry too much about them,” senior captain and defenseman Bobbi-Jo Slusar said. “I think if we play our game we’re going to be fine. It’s going to be a struggle and it’s going to be a battle, but I think it will work out if we play our best.”
St. Lawrence defeated higher-seeded New Hampshire in the quarterfinals 6-2, with a goal and two assists from its leading scorer, junior forward Sabrina Harbec, who is second in the nation with 70 points.
“It’ll be another tough battle,” Badger head coach Mark Johnson said. “They’ve got a solid team. They’ve got six excellent defensemen. They’ve got some kids up front that can score some goals, so our hands are going to be full.”
Wisconsin has withstood every test it has faced thus far this season, and part of the reason has been the timely scoring of junior forward Jinelle Zaugg, who tied the UW single-season record with eight game-winning goals this season, three of them coming in overtime.
“Coincidence,” Zaugg claimed. “Competitive games are something that we all live for and it just happens that I end up getting the puck [with a chance to win the game].”
“We were trying to pick [during the Harvard game] who was going to score the goal, and I actually picked Zaugg because her shot is unreal and if you put it on her stick it’s probably going to go into the net,” Slusar said.
“I think she just always picks the right spot and she’s just a great finisher, and in overtime the goalie is a little tired and Zaugg just has such a great shot that it’s difficult to stop,” sophomore goalie Jessie Vetter said.
Vetter is a major part of the reason Wisconsin has reached two straight national semifinals. Since giving up a goal to Mercyhurst in the first period of last season’s NCAA quarterfinals, she has gone 448 minutes without allowing a goal in the postseason.
“I think the defense is just playing really well in front of me. They’re letting me see the puck and they’re clearing all the rebounds and hopefully the streak will continue on through this weekend,” Vetter said.
If the Badgers defeat St. Lawrence, the host school for the Frozen Four, they will move on to play the winner of Boston College and Minnesota-Duluth, both underdog teams that upset their quarterfinal opponent. Johnson is confident his team can control its success in the final weekend of 2006-’07.
“We have to play like we did against Harvard. If we play that well, I like our chances,” Johnson said.
