The Wisconsin women’s hockey team will start its season on Sept. 27 with a full-steam-ahead attitude. Following a devastating loss in the championship game last season, new and returning Badgers are anticipating an exciting season and the opportunity to compete for the national title once again.
The team officially announced their team captains for the 2024-25 season this past Wednesday.
Junior defender Caroline Harvey and fifth-year forward Casey O’Brien will lead the team as co-captains, the first duo to do so since the 2020-21 season. This group of players have the experience, leadership abilities and appreciation for the program he and the team look for in captains, head coach Mark Johnson told The Daily Cardinal.
“Everybody gets to participate in that selection…They have an appreciation for what we have and the resources,” Johnson said.
As a forward, O’Brien led the Badgers with 50 assists last season, breaking program history books.
“It’s an honor to be named captain of this university’s program,” O’Brien told the Cardinal, adding that Wisconsin has “one of the best opportunities in women’s hockey.”
Harvey’s defensive abilities landed her the role of co-captain as a junior, the first since Carla MacLeod’s 2003-04 season with the Badgers. Harvey has already competed in the Olympic games and is looking ahead to the next Team USA opportunity, Johnson said. Harvey also noted she is looking to provide support for her teammates and coaches as a captain.
Serving as alternate captains, forwards Lacey Eden and Laila Edwards both had career-high points in the 2023-24 season.
On leading the team as a group, Eden told the Cardinal we all bring something different to the table, and we’ve all worked together in the past.”
During the 2023-24 season, these four captains were in the top six for the most assists on the team.
In the offseason, the Badgers honed in on personal development. Edwards attended a leadership program this summer and said she is excited to implement what she learned to push the Badgers’ postseason play.
Edwards told new freshmen to “be confident and learn from the older players.”
“Ask as many questions as you need to. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, you’re going to make mistakes,” she said.
With newcomers out of the transfer portal, the Badgers’ roster welcomed two more upperclassmen with the addition of goaltender Quinn Kuntz and forward Mckayla Zilisch. Kuntz spent the last five years with the Ohio State Buckeyes, while Zilisch spent the last two years at Bemidji State.
These transfers, along with four new freshmen, have been working hard to give their best to the team. While the process of figuring out how new players fit into the group is challenging, the captains and Johnson stressed that these new Badgers acclimated quickly and brought a lot to the team.
When he discussed how to create a winning team, Johnson said the final piece of the puzzle is the understanding that everyone makes the team successful as a whole.
It’s “the willingness to play for the person that’s sitting next to you in the locker room, the ability to be selfless,” he said.
Coming off of the 1-0 loss to Ohio State in the national championship game last season, the team put a lot of work into this summer in the hopes of gaining better results this season.
“One of the most impactful lessons came from leadership development programs two of his players participated in,” Johnson told the Cardinal.
Harvey and Edwards also learned in leadership seminars that providing support starts in the locker room.
“That experience was critical,” Edwards said. “If we have a healthy environment in the locker room, that’s going to show up in games.”
The incoming captains showed their excitement for the upcoming Wrigley Field game in January. Wisconsin will face off against returning national champions Ohio State. The Badgers men’s hockey team will also travel to play Michigan State at Wrigley that same day.
This will mark the second time in their history that the women’s team will play an outdoor game, the first in a baseball stadium.
Ahead of their season opener, the Badgers have already garnered accolades, including a No. 1 ranking in the WCHA Coaches’ Poll. Junior forward Kirsten Simms was named WCHA Preseason Player of the Year, marking the second year in a row the Badgers have earned this title after Harvey received the award for the 2023-24 season.
The Badgers’ season opens on Friday, Sept. 27 at the LaBahn Arena, where they will compete against Lindenwood.
