With the playoffs right around the corner, the Badgers head to Ohio State for their last road series of the season. For the Buckeyes’ leading scorer, sophomore forward Claudia Kepler, it is a little taste of home coming to Columbus.
Kepler attended Verona Area High School, just 10 miles southeast of the UW campus, and played junior hockey for the Madison Capitols. Before agreeing to go to OSU, she had offers from Wisconsin, Minnesota State-Mankato, Dartmouth and Providence.
The Badgers were reportedly her number one choice, but Ohio State felt like the best fit for her.
“I really felt like Ohio State was the right place for me.” Kepler told Connect Verona at the time. “They really made me feel wanted.”
Head coach Mark Johnson may be regretting not bringing in the local prospect, who has flourished with the Buckeyes. As a freshman last year, she led OSU in goals with 13, finishing second in the WCHA among freshmen in that category.
For comparison, current UW breakout freshman forward Annie Pankowski has 15 goals so far.
This season, Kepler is tied for first on the team with 10 goals, while leading her squad with 101 shots on goal. Her production is a big reason OSU is only four points out of fourth place and a home playoff series.
Sitting so close to fourth place North Dakota and third place Minnesota-Duluth makes every remaining game all the more important for the Buckeyes. They should be extra motivated to try and pull off the upset over the Badgers, who are undefeated over their last seven games.
Pankowski and senior center Blayre Turnbull are carrying Wisconsin as of late, combining for 10 goals over the team’s last five games. Pankowski earned her second career hat trick on Jan. 25 against Clarkson, and Turnbull earned her first career hat trick last Saturday against Minnesota-Duluth.
UW has also shut out its opponents in four of the last five games, due in part to some great goaltending by sophomore Ann-Renée Desbiens. She now has 11 shutouts on the season, and her teammates know she’s got their backs.
“I think it’s huge when we have Ann-Renée in the net. She’s a great goaltender,” said sophomore forward Sydney McKibbon. “When we’re all playing a good defensive game that helps. When everyone is thinking defense first, Ann-Renée can get the shutout.”
Kepler and the Buckeyes will have their work cut out for them as they look to get the puck past Desbiens and earn crucial conference points against Wisconsin.
OSU has some momentum of its own, coming off a 6-0 win over Minnesota State. Kepler didn’t register a point and only put one shot on goal, but her teammates carried the load for the decisive win.
The first matchup between Wisconsin and Ohio State was dominated by the Badgers with 6-0 and 3-0 wins, but both teams have grown a lot since then and OSU is a much more formidable opponent than those score lines suggest.
