The Wisconsin women’s hockey team (1-0-1) looks to extend their early undefeated record this weekend as they travel to St. Louis to take on Lindenwood (0-2).
Consecutive road series for the Badgers to open the season has been a rarity for the program as they have only opened on the road twice before, in 2001-02 and 2007-08.
Lindenwood, a member of the CHA, went 8-21-0 in their inaugural NCAA season last year and are coming off of a weekend series in which they were swept by Ohio State, losing 4-0 and 7-2.
Sophomore forward Alison Wickenheiser, the team’s 2011 leading scorer, had her point streak snapped at five games in the season opener, but has recorded at least one point in eight out of her last ten games dating back to last year, scoring 14 goals and five assists during that span.
Freshman goalie Nicole Hensley racked up 100 saves against the Buckeyes, including 60 saves in the opener.
“They are a better team than what we faced last year,” Badger head coach Mark Johnson said. “It’s a big game for them. They’ve been marketing, they’ve been hyping it up. With any opponent, you have to do certain things if you’re going to give yourselves a chance to win and that’s what I’m concerned about— trying to build on what we did last weekend and trying to get better from last weekend.”
In two victories last weekend against Minnesota State, the Badgers’ offense was on the attack early and often as they attempted a total of 157 shots with 82 of them on net.
Senior forward Brianna Decker led the way for Wisconsin, posting two goals and an assist. With her strong performances early in the season, she has become increasingly more comfortable out on the ice as a senior.
“I think with being comfortable comes confidence and I think that I have enough of that to carry through the year,” she said. “My teammates give me confidence and so do the coaches so that helps.”
The defense was strong as well, holding the Maverick’s forwards in check. They were anchored by junior goaltender Alex Rigsby’s 37 saves.
In two meetings last year, Wisconsin blanked the Lions, outscoring them by a combined 24-0. Despite being the heavy favorite this weekend, Wisconsin isn’t overlooking their upcoming opponent.
“We won’t overlook [Lindenwood],” Johnson said. “I don’t care who we’re playing or where we’re playing them at, you have to work hard, play smart, play disciplined and do some little things to help you win.”
Decker echoed Johnson’s remarks. “As a team, we always tell each other to view every opponent the same,” she said. “Whether it’s Minnesota or Lindenwood, it doesn’t really matter. I think we have to look at ourselves and reflect on ourselves and make sure we get better every weekend.”
