The Badger women’s hockey team entered the 2006-’07 campaign looking to repeat as national champions. They did just that, along with establishing themselves as one of the dominant teams in college sports.
Opening weekend began with a pre-game ceremony commemorating the 2005-’06 run which brought Wisconsin its first national title. The Badgers swept Quinnipiac that weekend and went onto begin the season at 13-0-1, extending their unbeaten streak to 26 games dating back to 2005-’06.
On Nov. 24, the Badgers ran into a streaking Minnesota-Duluth team, which silenced Wisconsin 2-0, giving the program its first loss since February 2006. UW would not lose again.
The next day, Wisconsin retaliated against UMD, defeating the Bulldogs 2-0 as the Badgers began their current unbeaten streak of 26 games.
After shutting down North Dakota in the first round of the WCHA playoffs, Wisconsin entered the WCHA Playoff Championship in Minnesota as the top seed in the conference. The Badgers beat Ohio State and Minnesota en route to the conference title. With its second straight WCHA postseason crown, Wisconsin knocked the Buckeyes and Golden Gophers out of NCAA tournament contention.
Wisconsin faced Harvard in the NCAA quarterfinals at the Kohl Center. In front of the second-largest crowd ever to attend an NCAA women’s hockey game (5,125), the Badgers needed four overtimes to advance to the Frozen Four. Junior forward Jinelle Zaugg’s goal 127:09 into the game sent Wisconsin to Lake Placid, NY.
In the semifinals of the Frozen Four, UW defeated St. Lawrence 4-0, a team it beat in the 2005-’06 national semis.
The Badgers faced a recognizable foe in the Frozen Four finals, as Minnesota-Duluth earned itself a spot in the national championship game. Wisconsin saw four different players tally goals along with strong goaltending from sophomore goalie Jessie Vetter as it won its second straight national championship 4-1. The Badgers finished the season 36-1-4.
Wisconsin’s Bauer finished second in the nation in points with 72, and received the USCHO Player of the Year award. She and senior defenseman Meaghan Mikkelson were named Patty Kazmaier Top Ten finalists, with Bauer being the runner-up after winning it in 2005-’06. The Badgers saw Vetter lose a tournament shutout streak of 422 minutes and 36 seconds in the finals, a record spanning back to the 2006 NCAA quarterfinal. Vetter and senior goalie Christine Dufour were tops in the nation in goals against average and save percentage.
Honorable mention: Volleyball
The Wisconsin women’s volleyball squad reached the NCAA regionals before losing to No. 8 Texas 3-0, ending its successful 2006 run.
Early on, Wisconsin established itself as a top volleyball team in the country, defeating No. 15 Ohio in five games for its first win of the season.
The Badgers biggest win of the season came in late October at home against No. 2 Penn State, shutting out the Nittany Lions 30-22, 30-28, 30-25.
Freshman Brittney Dolgner led Wisconsin with 461 kills and heads into next season as one of the nation’s top servers. Junior Jackie Simpson led the team with 12.85 assists per game.
