Mark Johnson, UW legend and head coach of the Wisconsin women’s hockey program (22-1-1 WCHA, 28-1-1 overall), will see a familiar face in Madison this weekend when John Harrington and his Minnesota State Mavericks (0-21-3 WCHA, 3-23-4 overall) visit LaBahn Arena. Both Johnson and Harrington played for team USA in the 1980 Olympics when the team infamously defeated the Soviet Union on their way to winning a gold medal.
“I think it's—it adds a little bit of flavor to the weekend, you know, it's a long season, a two-semester sport, and you're always looking for things to maybe perk yourself up,” Johnson said at a Monday press conference. “So I know when we played up there I was getting emails from my former Olympic teammates to make sure we took it easy on the Mavericks when we played up there.”
Johnson and the Badgers didn’t appear to pay heed to that request, beating the Mavericks by a combined score of 13-0 on their own ice earlier this season.
The Mavericks have undoubtedly been improving since the previous lopsided matchup, forcing top-ranked teams such as Minnesota and North Dakota to play physical, competitive hockey for all three periods. The newfound energy seems to be tied to the increased amount of production the Mavericks are getting from their second and third lines. Freshman Emily Antony has hit a hot streak, scoring 12 points in the last 10 outings and nine in the last six.
Junior forward Sarah Nurse has noticed the grit the Mavs have shown as the season has worn on.
“I think like any other team in the league, they have a really high [competitive] level and they don't just roll over when they are playing the top teams in the league,” Nurse said. “So when they come into these games they aren't backing down automatically looking at our record.”
Being senior weekend in Madison, the Mavericks will need all the positive momentum they can muster, as the Badgers will undoubtedly be trying to send their senior class out of LaBahn in style.
Junior Jenny Ryan, Wisconsin’s top defensive point-scorer, shared her feelings on the upcoming emotions surrounding the special weekend.
“It’s always a sad weekend, but it's also an exciting one. We have a great group of seniors this year and like we have said a bunch of times, we have great team chemistry and we've had a lot of fun this year,” Ryan said. “It's going to be sad to see them go, but I'm not going to try and think about that yet and celebrate them more this weekend rather than say goodbye.”
Johnson took a moment to reflect on this year’s senior class and their impact on the university and in the community.
“I would characterize them as persistent, consistent and from top to bottom, I think they made a big contribution certainly on the ice, but probably [equally] as important off the ice and the contributions they've made within the community,” Johnson said. “I think that group has done a job probably equal or better than some of the other classes we've had, so hats off to them.”
The younger players echoed Johnson’s sentiment for this season’s group of seniors.
“They are definitely a special group just in terms of their attitudes,” Nurse said. “They always have good attitudes. They’re always ready work and be with the team and help us be successful.”
In an emotion-filled series like senior weekend and with the Mavericks being winless in WCHA play, the Badgers will need to stay sharp and be sure to not play down to a weaker opponent like Minnesota State.
Johnson addressed this potential pitfall.
“There are certainly more distractions with it being the last weekend for our seniors,” Johnson said. “A lot of their parents will be in town; there will be some introductions Sunday before the game, so it's an emotional weekend for that group.”
Johnson ended Monday’s press conference with one final message for his senior group: “Enjoy it, and go out and play free.”
