With only four games to go in the regular season, crunch time is on for the No. 9 Wisconsin women’s hockey team (13-9-2-2 WCHA, 17-9-2 overall). And rather then the schedule getting easier, the Badgers will welcome Minnesota-Duluth (13-10-1, 14-11-3) to La Bahn Arena for the final home series of the season.
“This time of year you’re just trying to find ways to win hockey games,” head coach Mark Johnson said. “Every game is a battle for points.”
This series in particular will have significant relevance on both teams’ postseason title chances. With Wisconsin sitting just two points behind second-place North Dakota, and Duluth just three points behind the Badgers, whatever the outcome from this weekend is, it will have a major impact on the WCHA playoff picture.
“We’re taking it one game at a time, but we also know what’s at stake in these next couple games,” senior defensemen Madison Packer said.
Last weekend, the Badgers took advantage of an overmatched St. Cloud State team to earn their seventh sweep of the season and Johnson’s 200th WCHA win. Sophomore forward Karley Sylvester turned in one of her top performances this year, scoring two of UW’s 11 goals on the weekend.
“It’s always helpful once you get a few in the back of the net to boost your confidence,” Sylvester said. “The more opportunities you get, the better you start to feel with the puck.”
In many ways this weekend’s series will serve as a benchmark for the Badgers to see how far they’ve come since the last time they skated against the Bulldogs. In an early season series in Duluth the Badgers were outscored 3-0 on the weekend, and were swept for the first time in the young season. A quality showing against the Bulldogs this weekend could signal to the rest of the league that this young Badger squad has matured into a legitimate postseason threat.
“It’s tough coming into college hockey without really knowing what to expect,” Packer said. “But our younger players have gotten a lot stronger, faster and more intelligent with the puck since the beginning of the year.”
The series against Duluth marks one of the most anticipated home series of the season for the Badgers.
Both games are already sold out, and Sunday’s contest will be Senior Day for one of the most accomplished classes in Badger history. Regardless of the outcome of this series, the inaugural season at La Bahn Arena has been a memorable campaign for those who have followed the team.
“Getting the chance to play here in this atmosphere has given us an advantage all season,” Sylvester said. “The way the fans are right there on top of the action has really played to our strengths.”
“Opposing teams always enjoy coming to play here, everyone likes to play in front of more fans,” Johnson added. “It’s been a great experience for us, and a great thing for college hockey.”
Games will be played Saturday and Sunday with the puck scheduled to drop at 7 p.m. and 4 p.m. respectively.
