For two periods, Bemidji State stuck with No. 1 Wisconsin, matching the Badgers nearly shot-for-shot and giving the country’s top-ranked team its toughest challenge in two months.
The Beavers (5-16-3 WCHA, 9-16-3 overall) struck first, giving Wisconsin (21-2-1, 26-2-1) its first deficit since early December, but were ultimately unable to hold onto the lead en route to a 4-2 loss in the second game of the weekend series.
"We haven't been tested that much so we all knew that we had to start playing our game and we had to start pumping each other up," freshman defender Mekenzie Steffen told UWBadgers.com. "We knew we had to keep it in their zone and keep it simple to come out with a win."
The Badgers’ offense started slowly, stymied in part by a tripping penalty on junior forward Annie Pankowski. Bemidji State, lead by freshman forward Kiki Radke, applied consistent pressure on senior goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens that led to a goal by Beaver defender Alexis Joyce. Joyce’s goal marked the first time Wisconsin had trailed since their Dec. 3 loss to Minnesota in Madison.
That lead would stand until late in the second, when linemates Emily Clark and Pankowski scored goals separated by just 2:16 to give Wisconsin a 2-1 lead. That lead would be short-lived, as Beaver forward Summer Thibodeau scored unassisted to tie the game once again.
"When you're playing Bemidji you have to work hard," head coach Mark Johnson said. "They capitalized on a mistake we made, so the big thing was to try and get some momentum in the second period."
The Badgers used that momentum to take control in the final 20 minutes as Clark recorded the game-winner just 43 seconds into the period, her second of the game, off a pass from senior forward Sarah Nurse.
Just under three minutes later, Nurse tallied her third assist of the game and sixth of the series on an insurance goal by Steffen to put the score at 4-2. Wisconsin kept the pressure on for the remainder of the game, outshooting Bemidji State 23-3 in the final frame.
The game provided yet another positive result for UW’s new top line of Nurse, Clark and Pankowski, as the trio recorded three of the Badgers’ four goals. In three games since the shake-up the forwards have combined for seven goals, including all three game-winners.
"We always kind of get the opportunity late in the game when we need a goal," Pankowski said. "It just seems like the three of us are on the same page right now."
With the Bemidji State series complete, Wisconsin will now conclude the regular season with a four-game stretch against two of the top three teams in the WCHA, beginning with a home series against No. 2 Minnesota-Duluth at LaBahn Arena. Puck drops for the first game on Feb. 11 at 2 p.m.
