Fresh off of a tough non-conference sweep over No. 8 Clarkson, top-ranked Wisconsin (3-0-1 WCHA, 5-0-1 overall) is set to return to WCHA play at No. 10 North Dakota October 22 and 23.
“Certainly pleased with the effort this past weekend with our games at Clarkson, I knew it was going to be challenging,” Johnson said at his press conference Monday, according to UWBadgers.com. “Clarkson was a Frozen Four team last year and won the NCAA championship in 2014, so a lot of their makeup of their team has experience and certainly they were going to be excited to play against us.”
Wisconsin won game one in overtime thanks to junior Emily Clark’s 13th career game-winning goal, just one minute into overtime. Forwards Sarah Nurse and Sam Cogan also added goals, and senior goalie Ann-Renée Desbiens stopped 21 of 23 shots in the 3-2 victory.
Saturday’s 4-1 finale win was Johnson’s 400th career victory, becoming just one of three NCAA Division I coaches - and the first WCHA coach to reach the milestone.
Senior forward Sydney McKibbon added two goals for the Badgers and freshman forward Presley Norby scored the go-ahead goal in the third period. Minutes later, Nurse put the game out of reach with her second goal of the weekend. The win also marked Desbiens’ 75th career victory as a Badger, tying her with Jackie MacMillan for third in program history.
North Dakota (3-1, 4-1-1) is also coming off of a sweep after defeating Minnesota State 6-0 and 4-3 this past weekend at home.
The Fighting Hawks enter the series with a current pair of WCHA Players of the Week in senior goaltender Lexi Shaw and freshman forward Emma Nuutinen. Nuutinen added four points in the series.
UND returns 16 of 25 players from last season’s team, but graduated All-American goalie Shelby Amsley-Benzie. North Dakota was selected to finish third in the WCHA this season by the coaches.
Johnson knows that his team has a big target on their back.
“They’re well-coached, Brian [Idalski] does a great job in preparation...when you’re in the position we are right now, everybody is going to bring their A game to you, and it’s how we come out and prepare ourselves,” Johnson said. “We know North Dakota will all be ready to go and all fired up to play us Saturday afternoon.”
The puck drops in Grand Forks, N.D., Saturday and Sunday at 2:07 p.m.
