This was not how the season was supposed to go.
After winning a third national championship in four years, the Wisconsin women's hockey team was supposed to trample the competition in the 2009-'10 season and storm their way to another title. That was the plan, at least.
In reality, though, this team was nothing like the one that dominated college hockey the year before. Gone were the six crucial seniors that helped lead the Badgers to the 2009 title, including team captain Erika Lawler and goaltender Jessie Vetter. As if that was not enough to lose, two more players—junior forward Meghan Duggan and sophomore forward Hilary Knight—and head coach Mark Johnson were also absent for the year to compete for a gold medal with the U.S. national team at the 2010 Olympics.
All told, the Badgers lost four of their top five scorers from the year before, their world-beating goalie and their head coach, with each loss having a massive impact on the 2009-'10 campaign. Clearly, the path to a national title would not be as easy this time around, and Wisconsin struggled to play to their potential all season, ending the year with a disappointing defeat in the WCHA playoffs and no trip to the NCAA postseason.
It was clear that the Olympic year had upset the old order of women's college hockey, but no team fell as hard as the Badgers did.
Ranked No. 1 at the start of the year, Wisconsin never played up to that moniker, starting with their season-opening loss to North Dakota. The Badgers struggled offensively and could not stay out of the penalty box all game, resulting in a 2-0 loss that sent shockwaves through the locker room.
For a group that has seen the success the Badgers have had, defeat was an unfamiliar concept, especially against the Sioux, a team Wisconsin had never lost to in the program's history. But the season opener was the tip of the iceberg this year—although the Badgers came back the next day to defeat North Dakota, they set a precedent for series-opening losses that would continue through most of the season.
Wisconsin had games where it looked like its old, dominant self—including their four contests against Minnesota, a powerhouse that stayed strong this year—but for the most part they were a model of inconsistency. While the team could sweep the No. 1 Gophers one weekend, they would come out and struggle the next against a far weaker opponent.
Ultimately, it was that inability to win the easy ones and keep up a consistently high level of play that doomed the Badgers to their early exit against Ohio State in the WCHA playoffs.
Two factors contributed to Wisconsin's struggles more than anything else: the lack of a reliable goaltender and an offense that could not find the back of the net.
Without Vetter, the Badgers relied on senior Alannah McCready and freshman Becca Ruegsegger in goal, who turned in performances that were dominant on some nights but uninspired and mediocre on others. Obviously nobody expected McCready or Ruegsegger to be as good as Vetter, but neither goalie proved deserving of the starting role the entire season.
Next year, the Badgers will try to recover from the disappointment of the 2009-'10 season with a revamped lineup filled with highly touted recruits and made even more dangerous with the return of Knight, Duggan and Johnson from the Olympic team. Still, for a team that is used to winning national titles, this season will mark a low point they will be eager to put behind them.
Player of the Year: Brooke Ammerman
With the exodus of Wisconsin's top offensive threats, sophomore forward Brooke Ammerman was thrust into the main goal-scoring role for the 2009-'10 season. After an impressive freshman year, Ammerman was the Badgers' leader this season, notching 20 goals and 18 assists on Wisconsin's top line.
The Badgers struggled to find the back of the net all season, but Ammerman was a reliable scoring threat for most of the year. With the return of forwards Meghan Duggan and Hilary Knight, watch for Ammerman to rack up even more points next season.
