In the wake of one of the most physical series of the season, one might expect the Wisconsin women's hockey team to relax. Think again.
Even after taking a shootout victory from archrival Minnesota last Sunday, the Badgers remain a point behind the Gophers in the race for the WCHA regular-season title. After dropping to second in both the national and league standings with only two series left in the regular season, the team knows what is on the line.
Our team has always been a pretty good team at being able to focus on the task at hand,"" Wisconsin junior forward Meghan Duggan said. ""We're already a point behind Minnesota, so any slip-up would just make things worse for us.""
No one personifies the Badgers' desperation more than Duggan. The Massachusetts native netted a pair of goals at Ridder Arena last weekend before lighting the lamp in Sunday's shootout to give Wisconsin the win.
""Everyone's harping on the fact that we're one point behind [Minnesota] and we might have just lost the regular-season championship,"" Duggan said. ""But there are still four games to be played. Funny stuff can happen.""
On paper, the Badgers will have a definitive edge when they travel to Mankato this weekend. Wisconsin outscored Minnesota State 15-2 in two games at the Kohl Center in late November. To make matters worse for the Mavericks, they have never beaten the Badgers, going 0-39-1. The Badgers do not want the 41st time to be their downfall.
""It's good for us to just look at Mankato as the next milestone and go through Friday night's game ready to win and take two points from them,"" Duggan said.
Besides going goal-for-goal with the Gophers on the road last Sunday, the Badgers also showcased their ability to play through adversity. After losing senior forward and team captain Erika Lawler to an injury midway through Saturday's contest, the Badgers fought through major lineup changes in Sunday's game.
""That was tough,"" UW junior forward Jasmine Giles said. ""The lines were all messed up, and everyone was playing with somebody different. That was probably the hardest part. We persevered, [and] we came through. We'll take it.""
Although the Badgers have a fairly easy schedule for the remainder of the regular season, injuries and fatigue will be two of their main concerns for the rest of the year.
However, the team is far from making excuses.
""We have a lot of bumps and bruises here and there,"" UW senior defender Alycia Matthews said. ""But we're trained to do this. We're Division I athletes.""
UW will have its final road series this weekend against the Mavericks. Faceoff will be at 7 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Saturday at All Season's Arena in Mankato, Minn.
