The No. 2 Wisconsin Badgers (24-1-1 WCHA, 30-1-1 overall) have already clinched the fifth WCHA conference championship in program history, but the regular season isn’t done yet.
This weekend, the Badgers travel to Ridder Arena in Minneapolis for what should be their toughest conference series of the season, as they take on the No. 3 Minnesota Golden Gophers (22-3-1, 27-3-1).
With the conference title already in the bag, it could be natural for the team to approach this series with a less intense mindset, but head coach Mark Johnson isn’t allowing that to happen.
“As I told the team, they can enjoy it today and tomorrow at eight o’clock they’re back in the weight room working out and getting ready for Minnesota,” Johnson said at a press conference Monday.
Speaking with the players, it doesn’t feel like you are talking to athletes that are by any means content with their accomplishments so far, and the motivation level is just as high, if not higher, than in any other Border Battle.
“We are still really excited, this is the biggest rivalry we have,” senior captain Courtney Burke said. “Going into Minnesota is always tough, and I think we are really excited because it still matters, you have things like pairwise [rankings] that really matter going forward, and these two games are probably the most important of the year.”
Sophomore forward Annie Pankowski reiterated that there will be no change in mentality or intensity for this match up.
“Minnesota is always going to be Minnesota,” she said.
Freshman forward, and reigning WCHA Freshman of the Week, Sophia Shaver only got her first taste of the Border Battle back in December, but it was easy for her to see how much it means to both schools.
“The first time really showed me how intense the game was gonna be,” Shaver said. “How fast and skilled those players are, and how evenly matched our teams are. We have to pick up our speed a lot when we play Minnesota.”
Shaver is also the only player on the Wisconsin roster from Minnesota, and as a Minneapolis native playing the Gophers has an extra meaning to her.
“Being from Minnesota, it’s obviously going to be different when we play there, especially because I live basically right where there rink is,” she said. “When I was growing up I always watched their games, so it’s obviously a little bit different when I come and play the team where I’m from, but it’s exciting and fun.”
Burke has significantly more experience playing the Gophers, and with that has come a great knowledge of what makes Minnesota so successful, particularly on offense, where they are second in the country in goals scored and have an absurd power-play conversion rate of 50.62 percent.
“Their offensive threats are all really good players, they have two or three solid lines where anyone can put the puck in the net, and that’s the biggest threat,” Burke said.
But she also believes the key to beating or containing Minnesota is to increase the pressure, something the Badgers have done a great job of all season.
“I think when our team is really going is when our forecheck is working, and we don’t let [the other team] get the puck out of their zone, kind of box them into their own area,” she said. “That’s what we have to do this weekend to Minnesota, make them feel uncomfortable in their D-zone and that’s when we can capitalize.”
Rarely has there been a game in this Border Battle that wasn’t close and exciting, and Pankowski says the greatest part of this rivalry is that there will always be high quality hockey being played.
“The intensity of every game, every shift, and every play, just feels like the game is on the line,” she said. “Both sides play great hockey, it’s not chippy, it’s very highly skilled hockey, which makes it very fun to play in.”
The puck drops at Ridder Arena Friday at 7 p.m., followed by the second game, which will be broadcasted live on Big Ten Network, Saturday at 3 p.m.
