VERONA, Wis.—The venue may have changed, but the result was the same for the No. 2 Badgers this weekend.
The Badgers blanked Ohio State with a 7-0 win in front of a standing-room-only crowd Friday night and effectively ended the Buckeyes' season with a 4-1 victory Saturday at the Eagles Nest.
Wisconsin (29-2-5) left little in doubt in the first game of the series. Goals from senior defender Rachel Bible and junior forward Jasmine Giles gave UW a 2-0 advantage in the game's opening minutes, and the Badgers never looked back.
""I think our defense, in the past month or so, have stepped it up huge,"" junior forward Meghan Duggan said. ""They're stepping up on the blue lines and making great plays.""
OSU (8-25-3) struggled defensively in the second period, and Wisconsin took full advantage, putting the game out of reach. Senior forward and team captain Erika Lawler made the game 3-0 early in the period, controlling a loose puck near the crease and jamming it past Buckeye goaltender Liana Bonanno. Near the game's midpoint, sophomore forward Mallory Deluce stretched the lead to 4-0 when she fired home a rebound off a shot from freshman forward Brooke Ammerman.
Duggan added a goal late in the second to put the Badgers up 5-0 and then another in the third, sending the puck off the crossbar and into the back of the net. Senior defender Alycia Matthews recorded her second goal of the year as the game wound down, leading to the eventual 7-0 shutout.
""It's a relief that Rachel [Bible] and I finally got rewarded for something that we've been trying so hard to do,"" Matthews said. ""Hopefully there will be more of that from us.""
With its season on the line Saturday night, Ohio State came out with a new intensity. After surrendering seven goals the night before, OSU kept the Badgers off the board through the first period. Unfortunately for the Buckeyes, they were unable to capitalize offensively, and the game remained scoreless into the second.
Sophomore forward Hilary Knight broke the silence 8:26 into the second period with her 13th power-play goal of the year to put the Badgers up 1-0. Up two skaters less than six minutes later, Ohio State answered as the Buckeyes' senior captain Hayley Klassen tipped a shot past senior goaltender Jessie Vetter for the equalizer.
Lawler put the Badgers up for good 5:48 into the third when she chipped a puck past Bonanno for the third power-play goal of the night.
""[It was] one of those things where you're in the right spot at the right time,"" Lawler said. ""It was kind of a gift. Meghan [Duggan] did all she could to chip that rebound out, and it was right on my stick.""
Lawler and Knight both added empty-net goals in the final minute, securing the 4-1 win.
With the sweep, Vetter tied a pair of NCAA records: most career wins by a goaltender (86) and most shutouts in a season (12). She will look to better both marks next weekend when the Badgers advance to the WCHA Final Faceoff in Minneapolis.
