It was a special atmosphere at LaBahn Arena Sunday, as the No. 2 Wisconsin Badgers (24-1-1 WCHA, 30-1-1 overall) paid respect to the eight seniors on the squad who played their last regular season game at LaBahn. This game was not special for that reason alone, however, as the Badgers’ 8-1 victory over the Minnesota State Mavericks (0-22-3, 3-25-4) clinched the outright WCHA conference title for Wisconsin, its first title since 2012.
Wisconsin started the game with its veterans, fielding a starting line made of all seniors, including netminder Jorie Walters, who made only her second appearance of the season.
The Badgers weren’t able to get on the board early despite an onslaught of shots on the Minnesota State net. Junior goalie Ann-Renée Desbiens was subbed back into the game just before the halfway point in the first period.
The breakthrough came with eight minutes left when senior captain Courtney Burke collected the puck in front of the net and glided a backhanded shot past the Minnesota State netminder junior Brianna Quade, giving the Badgers a 1-0 lead. The goal was Burke’s 100th point for her career, and she became the 19th Badger to accumulate at least 100 points while at Wisconsin.
Her goal was also the only one for either side in the first, as the Badgers were limited in opportunities compared to Saturday, with only eight shots on goal to Minnesota State’s five.
Despite a couple shaky moments in the defensive zone, the Wisconsin defense was stellar, killing off the Mavericks’ lone power play with ease.
It was a chippy start to the second, as both juniors Sarah Nurse and Sydney McKibbon took hard shots in the first couple minutes that shook them up, and neither team developed much of a rhythm.
Minnesota State came out aggressive in the second, and its efforts paid off. Seconds after going on the power play, senior captain Katie Johnson fired a shot from the left side that got past Desbiens and leveled the game at one apiece.
From there on out, Wisconsin held the numerical advantage for most of the second period, going on the power play four separate times.
Eager to regain the lead and on their first power play, the Badgers managed to get the puck in the net not long after MSU’s goal, but an official review determined McKibbon knocked the puck in with her glove, nullifying the goal. Wisconsin was unable to capitalize on their first power play of the game.
Their second power play went the way of the first, with plenty of solid chances, including open shots from sophomore forward Annie Pankowski and freshman forward Sam Cogan, but they couldn’t break the plane.
But Minnesota State’s apparent desire to shoot themselves in the foot finally paid off for Wisconsin on their go-around on the power play. After a scrum in front of the net popped the puck out to Burke near the blue line, she sent a hard shot in that deflected off a defender and ricocheted to the side, where sophomore forward Emily Clark collected the puck and fired it into the top shelf, putting the Badgers back in front.
Wisconsin finished the second on the power play but, despite a shot from junior defenseman Mellissa Channell that clanked off the post, the Badgers went into the second intermission up 2-1.
Needing a big third period to close the deal, Wisconsin came out of the gate firing. If you happened to blink at any time during the third, there’s a chance you missed a Wisconsin goal. Dominating possession and hounding the Mavericks in their defensive zone, the Cardinal and White generated several great opportunities right away. Not much later, the puck dropped to Pankowski in front of goal, who calmly slotted it into the net, giving the Badgers a 3-1 lead.
Pankowski’s goal was only the tip of the iceberg. As a delayed penalty was called on Minnesota State, Desbiens was pulled and the extra forward, sophomore Emily Clark, came on and scored, widening the lead to 4-1.
On the ensuing power play, the Badgers kept up the pressure. Great puck movement generated a wide-open chance for Pankowski that she put wide, but junior forward Sarah Nurse collected the puck right at the side of the goal and somehow got the puck in the net, making it 5-1.
After a few minutes of allowing the spectators to catch their breath, McKibbon wove down the right side, slipping between two defenders and firing into the net, giving the Badgers their sixth goal of the game.
With plenty of time left to play, Wisconsin kept on firing. A great combination from freshman defenseman Mikaela Gardner and and freshman forward Sophia Shaver resulted in a chance for sophomore forward Baylee Wellhausen, who calmly put away her chance, making it seven goals on the game and the fifth in the third period.
Incredibly, the Badgers were still not done. After Shaver won the puck behind MSU’s net, she fired a shot on goal that was saved, but the rebound fell to senior forward Erika Sowchuk, who slipped a shot past Quade, extending the lead to 8-1.
As the crowd roared thunderously, the final buzzer sounded, and the Badgers’ 8-1 victory brought the WCHA Championship back to Madison.
