It is not where you start, it is where you finish. This phenomenon extends to teams year-in and year-out, especially to the No. 6 Wisconsin women’s hockey team (15-9-2 WCHA, 19-9-2 overall) this season.
After enduring their first three-game losing streak in program history early in conference play, the Badgers have come on strong as of late, winning five out of their last eight series—including two consecutive sweeps—and are playing their best hockey when it matters most.
Wisconsin will look to build upon its momentum this weekend as they hit the road to take on conference foe Bemidji State (5-20-1, 6-22-2) for the final series of the regular season Friday and Saturday.
While it is just another conference series for the Badgers, it can be viewed as a chance for redemption, with the Beavers spoiling opening night of LaBahn Arena with a 1-0 victory.
“It’s not a revenge I don’t think—at least I don’t get into that. You look over the course of a season and there’s probably one, two, three, four games you would like to have back,” head coach Mark Johnson said. “Obviously being the opening night in our home building, you would like to have it back...It comes down to that ability to execute and play hard for six periods and that’s what we’re looking forward to do.”
A large part of the Badgers late-season success has been the play of their defense, as they have only allowed 49 goals—good for second-best in the WCHA. At the beginning of the year, the defense was faced with the absence of senior defenseman Stefanie McKeough and new faces on the line, forcing a difficult maturation process in communication and trust.
However, experience and improved communication amongst the defensive line has translated into the recent success.
“I think that’s an underlying theme that if you’re going to be successful, especially at the end of the season, you’re going to have to defend well,” Johnson said. “For most of [the defensive players], they’ve improved and it’s helped us win hockey games.”
Junior goaltender Alex Rigsby echoed her coach’s remarks. “I think the biggest thing for us that has been different than the past couple years I’ve been here has been communication between defenseman. I think that’s helped a lot.”
While the defense as a collective unit has improved dramatically, the improvement of junior defenseman Natalie Berg should be noted. During her first two seasons on the ice, Berg appeared in a total of 36 games, compared to 27 games already this year. Moreover, the elevated game-time experience has helped her gain more confidence on the ice and made her an integral part of the defense.
“I’d say a big part of that is game experience,” Berg said about her improvement this year. “Playing against Bemidji [State], it was some of the first couple games I played in—it’s just gaining confidence in game situations.”
The common phrase of “offense wins games, defense wins championships” is used frequently in lieu of a team’s postseason run and ultimately defines a championship. When asked if this extended to this year Badgers’ squad, Berg did not hesitate in her affirmation.
“Definitely, I think so. We’ve really developed over the season,” Berg said. “I think Rigsby trusts [the defense] enormously.”
