The No. 3 Badgers (13-2-1 WCHA, 17-2-1 overall) swept their weekend series against North Dakota (6-8-2-1, 7-9-2), winning the Friday and Sunday matchups by a combined score of 4-1.
UW dominated the Friday game but could not finish off UND until overtime. Wisconsin more than tripled North Dakota’s shots on goal, notching 48 to UND’s 15.
However, the Badgers found the back of the net just once in regulation, mostly due to stellar play from North Dakota’s goalie, junior Shelby Amsley-Benzie.
“We had 101 attempted shots. That’s a real high number,” said Wisconsin head coach Mark Johnson. “In our business you get this X-factor, if the other goaltender or your goaltender is playing well, they give you a chance to win. [Benzie] gave her team a chance to win today.”
The Badgers drew first blood with 6:15 left to play in the opening period. Freshman right wing Annie Pankowski took a shot that bounced off Benzie’s shoulder pad and landed in front of the goalie. Freshman left wing Baylee Wellhausen hammered the rebound home.
This was the only goal Wisconsin was able to score after controlling the first period, outshooting UND 14-2.
North Dakota improved its play in the second period, creating several scoring opportunities. Wisconsin’s sophomore goalie Ann-Renée Desbiens made six saves in the period and made 14 total on the day.
The Badgers found themselves on the power play twice late in the second period, but were unable to find twine. Benzie made several excellent saves and the defense in front of her was able to block a significant number of Wisconsin’s shots.
In the third period, Wisconsin again created several great scoring chances on the power play but Benzie continued to deny the Badger offense. With just three minutes to go, North Dakota scored the equalizer to knot up the game, 1-1. Junior Shannon Kaiser scooped up the loose puck in front of the net and sent it past the Badgers' goaltender.
After commanding the entire game, Wisconsin could have very easily crumbled after allowing the late game-tying goal. But the Badgers responded with a flurry of offense to end regulation, which carried over into the overtime period.
Two minutes and 40 seconds into the extra frame, sophomore left wing Sarah Nurse received a pass from senior right wing Katy Josephs in the middle of North Dakota’s zone. Nurse fired a shot into the top left corner of the net, beating the goalie and winning the game for the Badgers.
“It was a heads up play from the defense. They had good puck movement through the neutral zone and I just came in and took the shot and it went in,” Nurse said of her golden goal.
After being frustrated by a fantastic goaltending performance, the Badgers showed their resiliency in this contest against North Dakota, fighting back from a late lapse to pull out a hard-fought win.
The team rode that overtime success into the second matchup Sunday. North Dakota fought hard, and the two teams really went back and forth for much of the first period. Wisconsin could do very little, even with a power play which yielded only two real shot opportunities.
The Badgers did finally strike the back of the net, 14 and a half minutes in, when junior defender Kim Drake scored her second career goal and first of the season.
As the match continued on, UND’s sloppiness started to hold them back. Miscommunication and poor passing gave UW some quality opportunities, and it came back to bite North Dakota.
Twelve minutes into the second period, a turnover set the Badgers up with a run, and freshman left wing Baylee Wellhausen lit the lamp, giving her team the two-goal advantage that would hold for the rest of the game.
Desbiens was formidable, but her defense really helped her out, holding UND to only 21 shots on goal.
“My defense has been great this year,” Desbiens said. “It’s really a team effort. We stick to the game plan that coach tells us.”
Her 2-0 victory was her fifth shutout in her last six games. With the team entering their winter break, they will need the sophomore goalie to keep up her strong streak when they return.
“With her, it’s just a matter of continuing to build and continuing to get better,” Johnson said. “It’s an easy process if your habits are good and you do that on a daily basis.”
The team’s next series is in Minnesota, facing a rematch with the team that has handed the Badgers their only two losses of the season. Wisconsin has gone undefeated in the 12 matches since, and they can’t afford to lose that momentum over break.
Minnesota gave them fits last time, but UW will certainly be motivated to take on their rivals once again.
