Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey head coach Mark Johnson continued to solidify why he is one of the greatest women’s hockey coaches of all time as he secured his 600th win Friday night.
He is the second women’s hockey coach to reach the 600-win mark, joining Middlebury College’s Bill Mandigo. The Madison native has served as the head coach since 2002 and is the winningest coach in NCAA collegiate women's hockey history with a record of 600-113-53.
Johnson’s dominance shined as the No. 1 Wisconsin Badgers (6-0) proved why they are the best women’s hockey team in the nation, crushing the Minnesota State Mavericks (2-2) in last week's series.
The Badgers brought their A-game Thursday against the Mavericks, beating them 6-0. And just when it couldn’t get worse for Minnesota State, Wisconsin had another assertive win, netting nine goals on Friday.
Game 1
Despite Wisconsin scoring more goals on Friday, the Badgers still came out firing right away Thursday night.
Less than a minute into the game, junior Lacy Eden notched the first goal of the series off an elusive pass from sophomore defender Caroline Harvey that glided past Maverick defenders.
A few minutes later, Wisconsin forced a 3-on-2 rush generating another point from sophomore Kirsten Simms, who stopped on a dime and fired a shot blocker-side past Mavericks goalie Lauren Barbro.
After a slashing penalty by Minnesota State junior Claire Vekich, Eden was quick to get involved again, deflecting a shot from Harvey for her second goal of the game. The score read 3-0 in favor of the Badgers less than nine minutes into the game.
Later in the period, freshman Cassie Hall ripped a shot blocked by a Maverick defender leading to a dribbler in front of the net for senior captain Britta Curl to shoot and score on an out-of-position Barbro.
To top off Wisconsin’s dominance and Minnesota State’s struggles, the Mavericks let up a fifth goal with a little over a minute left in the period. The highlight-reel score started in the Badgers’ defensive zone, where Harvey made a pass to Laila Edwards at center ice. Edwards then connected with Simms for an epic toe-drag goal. This upped the score to 5-0, all before the end of the first period.
Wisconsin was able to run the score up early because of their intense forecheck. Even when they weren’t dumping the puck into Minnesota State’s defensive zone, it felt like Badgers were always swarming the puck and forcing turnovers.
Lucky for the Mavericks, Wisconsin’s offense slowed down, allowing the Mavericks to have some opportunities in a game that had been all cardinal and white. Additionally, junior goalie Suzette Faucher subbed out for the struggling Barbro.
Eden recorded an interference penalty to give Minnesota State some opportunities to score, but the best chance for a goal in the period came on a shorthanded chance for the Badgers where Harvey flipped the puck past a defender, retrieved it and took a shot on goal.
Later in the second period, Maverick freshman Lauren Zawoyski and sophomore Whitney Tuttle had an odd-man rush that was subdued by an excellent Jane Gervais save to hold on to the shutout for Wisconsin.
A little past the midpoint of the game, Laila Edwards would bury the final goal of the outing off a behind-the-back, dump-off pass from Simms.
The third period was significantly tamer compared to the first two as Minnesota State did a significantly better job defensively against the Badgers’ elite offense. However, they weren’t able to capitalize on any of them because of Gervais’ great goalkeeping. She had the start in this game and delivered her second shutout this season — the first against Lindenwood — while facing just 22 shots.
If the first period never happened, this game would’ve played close thanks to Maverick’s backup goalie, Faucher, who allowed one goal on 16 shots.
Game 2
Faucher’s success in the second and third periods of game one won her the start in what would end up being Johnson’s 600th win. This win wasn’t any normal win, though. The Badgers showcased sheer dominance in a 9-0 trouncing of the Mavericks.
Minnesota State came out of the gate strong, playing great defense with more physicality than Thursday’s opening minutes. They initially played a more compact set on defense by staying closer to the goal and poking the Badgers’ sticks whenever they posed a threat.
Although the Maverick defense started off strong, it didn’t take long for Simms to crack them and make her mark a little over midway through the first period on a power play. She would bury another one beating Faucher's blocker side minutes later, marking her fourth goal of the series.
Wisconsin continued to generate opportunities by taking shots from the perimeter and looking for deflections to score. Before the period ended, Harvey was able to cash her first goal of the series and make the score 3-0. She finished with seven points, including one goal and six assists, through the two-game span.
The Badgers’ dominance over the Mavericks’ struggles didn’t end there. Sophomore Marianne Picard scored twice, and Eden and Curl each scored once in the second period.
Minnesota State struggled early in the opening period to maintain possession, generate offense and even clear the puck out of their own zone, leading to the Badgers’ success. Additionally, Wisconsin’s excellent forecheck led to an abundance of opportunities for goals and extended possessions in the Mavericks’ defensive zone.
Some Wisconsin turnovers and sloppy play allowed the opposition to have some opportunities, but the Badgers’ defense was great at swarming the puck and prevented the Mavericks from capitalizing on them.
Good goalkeeping from freshman Ava McNaughton also stopped Minnesota State’s offensive pressure, denying 12 shots.
Maverick freshman Hailey Hansen made her first collegiate appearance in goal after the Mavericks changed goalies in the third quarter.The Minnesota native would go on to face 14 shots, allowing two goals.
Casey O’Brien and Katie Kotlowski were the Badgers to beat Hansen.
Although this marked O’Brien’s first goal of the series, the senior contributed throughout the game by delivering four assists to teammates.
Kotlowski’s top-shelf goal on a Wisconsin power play was her first of the season. Simms generated the goal while dangling through the entire defense. She took a shot and missed before passing the rebound to an open Kotlowski in front of the net.
The final goal made it 9-0.
Kotlowski’s shot concluded the Badgers’ 15-0 scoring frenzy during the weekend and marked a 90-36 shot-on-goal differential.
The Badgers hope to continue their dominance when they host Bemidji State on Oct. 20 and 21.
