The Wisconsin women’s hockey team (11-7-2 WCHA, 15-7-2 overall) faces the toughest challenge remaining this season as it hosts No. 1 Minnesota (18-0-0, 24-0-0) this weekend at LaBahn Arena. The top-ranked Golden Gophers have yet to fall this season and come into this series after tying the NCAA unbeaten streak last weekend.
“We’re coming out here with nothing to lose,” junior goaltender Alex Rigsby said. “They’re having a perfect season so far and obviously you want to come out and break that.
“It’s always fun to try and end [a team’s] winning streak. Last year they ended our streak and this year they’re on the same exact streak as us so it’s be pretty cool to come out Friday night with energy and end that streak,” Rigsby added.
Wisconsin will have to play nearly perfect hockey both defensively and offensively to end Minnesota’s winning streak, as the Gophers boast arguably the best goaltender and forward in the game this season. It has been nearly impossible to put the puck past Gopher senior goaltender Noora Raty this season. She carries a 0.94 goals-against-average and .956 save percentage, only allowing 19 goals on the year.
Junior forward Madison Packer understands just how difficult it is to score against Raty, but having played Minnesota once already this season, is ready to face the Minnesota goaltender.
“Raty has been on fire this season,” Packer said. “We got to get the puck to the net and most importantly we got to get bodies in front of her. They’re probable not going to be pretty goals but it doesn’t matter.”
The Badgers managed only one goal when these two teams last met in Minneapolis but were able to hold Minnesota to a season-low 2 goals, one which came on an empty net, in the second game of the series.
On the other end of the ice, the Badgers are going to have to figure out a way to slow down the nation’s leading scorer in Gopher junior forward Amanda Kessel. In just 23 games played this season, Kessel has notched 34 goals and 37 assists.
“The group that’s out against [Kessel] will have to be aware [of her],” head coach Mark Johnson said. “When she’s on the ice, obviously you have to be aware of her and if you get a one-on-one match with her, you have to do a good job of not getting beat.
“Easier said than done,” Johnson added.
Facing a scorer like Kessel is something Rigsby actually looks forward to.
“I love it,” Rigsby said. “It’s big competition and the competitive side comes out and you just want to do the best you can to shut those players down.”
This weekend will showcase the best rivalry in women’s hockey, the first time it will be played at LaBahn Arena. The excitement over this series is high as Sunday’s contest has already sold out, and Wisconsin will look to use the energy of the large home crowd to their advantage.
“It’s going to be a really exciting series and the fact that Sunday’s game is already sold out is huge and shows how good of support from our fans that we have here,” Rigsby said. “We are going to try to use that to our advantage. There’s definitely going to be a lot of energy in the building and we are going to make the best of it.”
