The race for the 2013 WCHA conference tournament crown is underway and second-seeded and No.6 ranked Wisconsin women’s hockey team (17-9-2 WCHA, 21-9-2 overall) will look to build upon their late-season momentum, as they host seventh-seeded St. Cloud State (5-21-2, 9-22-3) in the first round of the WCHA Playoff series—the first ever playoff series at the LaBahn Arena.
Moreover, the players and coaches will have the luxury of not having to travel to the Eagle’s Nest in Verona like years past.
“It’s kind of fun to kick it off [at LaBahn Arena]. I’ve never had a first time in a facility like this,” senior defenseman Saige Pacholok said. “Obviously, it’s going to be really exciting. I think the crowd will be good and being able to have a playoffs here rather than anywhere else in the Madison area I think is special... I think it will be a very special moment for our whole team, especially the seniors.”
Wisconsin enter this weekend’s series as one of the hottest teams not only in the conference but in the country, as they concluded the season with six-straight victories. During this stretch, the offense has averaged 35.7 shots on goal and 3.7 goals per game, led by senior forward Brianna Decker, as she registered a total of 12 points (eight goals, four assists). The defensive lines held their own as well, as junior goaltender Alex Rigsby registered a save percentage of .964.
While those statistics are impressive in their own right, Wisconsin is putting their string of consecutive victories in the rearview mirror and treating this weekend’s series as the beginning of a second season—a win-or-go home scenario.
“There are a lot of teams that we are going to face—St. Cloud State being one of them—[where] one of us loses and it’s the end of your season,” junior forward Madison Packer said. “It’s hard to end someone’s season. No one wants that—everyone wants to keep going so I think we have that in the back of our minds. It’s a different position we’ve been in the past but we know what it feels like.”
In their four previous meetings, Wisconsin got the best of St. Cloud State, significantly outshooting them by a combined margin of 77 (170-to-93) and outscoring them by a combined margin of 19 (23-to-four). However, with the Huskies playing the role of the underdog, head coach Mark Johnson pointed out it will be important for the Badgers to get off to a fast start.
“The competition now goes up a notch and everyone wants to win hockey games,” Johnson said. “So the task at hand is challenging and difficult... I’m more concerned with us. If we play up to our capabilities and do the things we’re good at, that will give us a chance to create scoring opportunities. If you can do it early, that will be very helpful.”
The Badgers currently sit tied for eight place with North Dakota (23-10-1) and Northeastern (21-10-2) in the USCHO’s Pairwise Rankings, which attempts to mimic the method used by the NCAA Selection Committee to determine participants for the NCAA Tournament. Yet, Johnson stressed his team is focused on the task at hand this weekend.
“I think everyone knows where we are and what we have to do,” Johnson said. “What’s most important is taking care of business this weekend because if you don’t, then [the NCAA Tournament] doesn’t matter.”
