Following a relatively quiet opening four games of its six-game homestand, No. 2 Wisconsin was finally faced with a true test when No. 10 Ohio St. came to town.
As predicted, the series wasn’t quite as easy for the Badgers (6-2-0 WCHA, 8-2-0 overall) but they played well enough to get a sweep of the Buckeyes (2-3-1, 3-3-1).
UW was triumphant in the first game of the weekend, defeating OSU 4-1 on Saturday, overcoming a shaky start in the process.
Just 28 seconds into the game, Buckeye freshman forward Claudia Kepler beat Wisconsin senior goaltender Alex Rigsby to give her team the early lead.
Despite having many good scoring opportunities of their own in the first period, the Badgers were unable to get on the board and went into the first intermission trailing.
UW’s fortunes reversed in the second frame when junior forward Blayre Turnbull scoring a power play goal just 30 seconds into the period, tying the game.
Freshman forward Sydney McKibbon gave the Badgers the lead several minutes later with a power play goal of her own, and UW didn’t look back.
“Special teams, whether it’s the penalty kill or power play, can certainly win you hockey games,” head coach Mark Johnson said. “So today, when we needed to score, we capitalized on it.”
Senior forward Madison Packer and redshirt junior forward Brittany Ammerman tacked on a couple insurance goals in the third period, securing a win for the Badgers.
The goal was especially gratifying for Packer, who was coming off an injury and felt like she’d been struggling offensively as of late.
“It was good, not just coming off an injury, but I think I’ve been a little frustrated lately, not putting the puck in the net as much as I did last year,” Packer said. “It was a dirty goal, I was actually trying to pass the puck.”
The first period of Sunday’s game was very similar to the previous day's, with Wisconsin unable to convert on plentiful opportunities and Ohio St. taking a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.
This time, however, the OSU goal came with just under 17 seconds left in the frame.
Despite the fact they were trailing, Johnson felt like his team played well in the first period and set the tempo for the rest of the game.
“They ended up scoring the goal with not much time left, but they only had really one scoring opportunity other than that,” Johnson said. “We played well, had a lot of offensive zone time and a lot of puck possession time. We had one breakdown and they capitalized on it.”
Much like the game before, the second period belonged to the Badgers, with Blayre Turnbull scoring a pair of goals a few minutes apart to give UW the lead.
“Our team is doing a great job of bouncing back,” Turnbull said. “Obviously we don’t want to be losing at any point in the game. But if we are losing and able to come back, that gives us confidence in the future if we’re ever in that situation again.”
In the final frame, the Buckeyes were able to tie the game up on a goal from senior defenseman Kari Schmitt, keeping her team’s hopes of an upset alive.
However, Wisconsin would retake the lead several minutes later on yet another goal by Brittany Ammerman, her team-leading eighth of the season.
Neither team would score the rest of the way, but things got interesting in the final minute of the game when a shoving match between the two teams resulted in several penalties. This resulted in a misconduct penalty on sophomore forward Julia McKinnon of the Buckeyes, for which she was ejected from the game.
After the penalties were issued, Wisconsin was left with a 5-on-3 advantage that allowed an easy last minute in which UW ran out the clock and secured the win.
The weekend series featured solid performances by many UW players, including Rigsby, who continues to rewrite the record books for the Badgers.
She became the first player in Wisconsin history to record 2,700 career saves, and with two more wins she pushed her career total to 89, just two away from tying Jessie Vetter’s school record of 91.
As for the Badgers, facing a tough test and playing in a close game could serve them well down the road, according to Johnson.
“When you’re in this situation, it provides experience for your younger players,” Johnson said. “Whether you’re on the ice or on the bench, you’re either watching it or involved in it.”
