No. 1 Wisconsin (6-0-1 WCHA, 8-0-1 overall) defeated Minnesota State (0-6-1, 2-6-1) 3-0 Friday afternoon in Mankato, Minn.
The Badgers jumped out to a 1-0 lead after a powerplay goal from senior defenseman Jenny Ryan in the first period.
UW gained some breathing room in the second period when senior forward Sarah Nurse lit the lamp—her sixth goal in the last three games—doubling UW’s lead to 2-0. Minutes later, freshman Sophia Shaver took a great pass from fellow freshman Abby Roque and slapped it past the goalie for her third goal of the season, and a 3-0 Wisconsin lead.
Wisconsin has outshot its opponents in every game this season, and Friday was no different, as the Badgers outshot MSU 37-14.
Senior goalie Ann-Renée Desbiens stopped all 14 of the Mavericks’ shots to earn her fourth shutout of the season and the 43rd of her career, just one shy of tying the NCAA record.
“It’s been huge to have a consistent goaltender in net,” associate head coach Dan Koch told UWBadgers.com. “We’ve been fortunate over the years to have great goaltending. It gives all of our players a lot of confidence with the puck, knowing that if something should happen, that Ann is back there to make the stop.”
“I think it shows how consistent we’ve been as a team the past four years and how we still are this year,” Desbiens said of nearing the NCAA shutout record. “Even though we have a younger team this year, our players are still able to clear the defensive zone, and that’s something that’s really important to us.”
The Badgers finish up the series Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.
