The No. 1 Wisconsin women’s hockey team (13-1-0 WCHA, 19-1-0 overall) swept No. 7 Bemidji State (6-7-1, 10-7-2) this weekend, extending their winning streak to 14 games.
Bemidji State had a 4-3-1 record against top-10 opponents coming into the series and jumped out to a 1-0 lead Friday afternoon behind junior forward Emily Erickson’s goal, but it was all Wisconsin the rest of the way. Junior defensemen Stefanie McKeough notched her second goal of the season off an assist from junior forward Brianna Decker, and senior forward Hilary Knight tied the game midway through the second period.
Knight scored late in the second period to give Wisconsin the lead, and sophomore forward Brittany Ammerman added an empty net goal late in the third to cement the 3-1 win for the Badgers.
Bemidji State had yet to be swept by an opponent this season, but Wisconsin ended that streak with ease Saturday, topping the Beavers 6-1. The Badgers did not trail during the game, scoring three times in the first 13 minutes.
Knight started the scoring for the Badgers with a shorthanded goal just three minutes into the game, but the senior captain did not stop there. Knight added a second goal later in the first period and tallied one more in the third to secure the hat trick.
Decker, McKeough and senior forward Brooke Ammerman each added goals during Saturday’s victory.
Bemidji State was Wisconsin’s first ranked opponent since it hosted Boston University in late October. The Badgers went six weeks without playing upper-end competition, but one would not have guessed as much after seeing them against Bemidji.
The Badgers’ performance this weekend says a lot about this team. Although Bemidji State got on the board first in Friday’s contest, Wisconsin showed once again why it is the top team in women’s collegiate hockey.
Many teams would have come out flat in Wisconsin’s situation. However, the Badgers appear to not have digressed at all from their high level of play in October.
UWBadgers.com contributed to this report.
