The Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team showed their resilience in a pair of wins against the Minnesota State Mavericks last weekend in Mankato, including a Friday night comeback victory.
Freshman forward Cassie Hall and senior forward Kirsten Simms led the Badgers’ scoring and sealed both road wins after going down early in their first game.
The Mavericks struck first in Friday’s game, scoring 2 goals. Despite this adversity, junior goaltender Jane Gervais kept the Badgers in the game with 14 saves. Then, five minutes into the second period, Hall scored on an assist from junior Lacey Eden to cut the Mavericks’ lead in half.
Later in the second period, freshman forward Kelly Gorbatenko slotted the puck right between the Maverick goaltender to tie the game at 2-2. Then in the third quarter, a team play, ending with a scramble goal from Simms secured the 3-2 win for the Badgers.
Their momentum continued in Saturday’s game, with seven different players on the scoreboard. The Badgers went up 1-0 early in the first period and never looked back. The team’s resilience and depth will help push them toward at Women’s Collegiate Hockey Association regular season title and another National Championship as they near the the last third of their season.
The Badgers hope to continue their seven-game winning streak at Minnesota Duluth on Jan. 26 and Jan. 27. Wisconsin split its series with the Bulldogs in a matchup earlier this season.
Shane Colpoys is a sports editor for The Daily Cardinal. She has written in-depth on the Wisconsin women's hockey team beat.
