Senior goalie Ann-Renée Desbiens recorded her 43rd career shutout to tie the NCAA career shutout record, as top-ranked Wisconsin (8-0-1 WCHA, 10-0-1, overall) blanked Bemidji State (2-6-1, 4-6-1) 5-0, Saturday afternoon at LaBahn Arena.
“It’s kind of impressive, it’s not something I would have thought about when I got here three or four years ago,” Desbiens said of the milestone. “It’s not a goal I set for myself, but it all turned out pretty good with the players I have in front of me and the system we have, so it just makes my life easier back there and just to be able to have those players in front of me every year has definitely been helping me out a lot.”
“Last year was a real special year for her as an individual and did things I’ve never seen in the game of hockey,” head coach Mark Johnson said. “From a goaltending standpoint, I credit her for not living on her laurels this past summer and continuing to work, and she’s got bigger things ahead of her ... if she continues to work and continues to stay focused, she’s got a bright future so I’m really excited for her and give her a lot of credit and very proud of her.”
The Badgers jumped out to a 1-0 lead after the puck took an awkward bounce and slipped past Bemidji State senior goalie Brittni Mowat with 11:19 remaining in the period. Sophomore defenseman Mikaela Gardner was credited with the goal, her first of the season. Both teams had eight shots in the period, but Desbiens made a couple of key saves to keep the Beavers off of the board.
“I wasn’t even sure it went in,” Gardner said about her goal. “I didn’t know where the puck went and I just kind of shot it. I was actually looking for Syd [McKibbon], and it just kind of bounced and went in, so I guess I was lucky.”
Wisconsin dominated the Beavers in the second period, outshooting them 16-7. Freshman Presley Norby netted her first goal of the game with a dagger past Mowat, with assists coming from senior forward Sarah Nurse and Gardner. Minutes later, Norby took the pass from freshman Maddie Rolfes and powered it through for a 3-0 Badger lead. Rolfes added two helpers in the game.
UW kept up the pressure in the BSU zone in the third period. The Badgers would add onto their lead with two goals within a minute of each other as junior Emily Clark added her fifth goal of the season and freshman Alexis Mauermann netted her first collegiate goal to seal Wisconsin’s 5-0 win. Desbiens stopped all 22 shots that came her way, while UW outshot the Beavers 39 to 22.
“It was a really good team win, a lot of people did a lot of good things,” Norby said. “We just got better throughout the game and came out with a lot of energy and excitement because we were back at home, and after a couple of passes kept connecting and we just got better and better.”
The series concludes tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m.
