Although men and women’s hockey had differing starts to the season, the end goal is the same: make a strong playoff push. Rankings don’t mean much of anything if you can get past the first round of the Big Ten or WCHA playoffs, but both teams are looking for wins to close out the season that is ending in just over a month.
Wisconsin women’s hockey
The Wisconsin women’s hockey team had a thrilling start to the season back in September. They come into the new year with a 24-1-1 record, losing only to rival No. 10 Ohio State in mid-November and in early January when they played at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
Wisconsin plays a hard and fast game that overpowers their opponents, unless that opponent happens to be able to overcome it like Ohio State was able to. The Badgers have battled with Ohio State for that championship trophy since 2019, where Wisconsin won it for the first time since 2011. Since Wisconsin’s national championship win in 2021, the Buckeyes have been flipping the No. 1 spot back and forth with the Badgers, overcoming them in the finals last year.
Wisconsin averages a strong 5.7 goals per game and holds their opponents to only 1 GPG. They’re a powerhouse with an average of 39.6 shots per game and a whopping 149 goals on the season this year. The teams facing them have struggled to compete with the Badgers’ quick and accurate shots on goal, leading to only 27 goals being scored on Badgers goaltenders in 26 games.
Graduate student Casey O’Brien leads the Badgers in points with 17 goals and 55 points in only 26 games played. She’s followed by junior Laila Edwards, who has 24 goals and 52 points in 26 games as well.
Unsurprisingly, sophomore goaltender Ava McNaugton has been dominating between the pipes, playing 25 games this season and holding an impressive .951 save percentage. Badgers defense has worked hard in front of the net to keep McNaughton’s goal against average at a low 1.11. McNaughton leads the league with seven shutouts and has one assist this season.
Overall, the rest of the season happens quickly, with only four more series and eight games total before the first round of the WCHA playoffs beginning on Feb. 28. The No. 1 Wisconsin Badgers are followed closely by the impressive Clarkson University and University of Minnesota teams, but finishing out these last few games like they have all season would do them well for final seedings.
Wisconsin men’s hockey
Unlike the women’s hockey team, Wisconsin men’s hockey has been struggling to hold themselves to the standards that were placed upon them at the start of the season. Right now, the Badgers sit at a 10-12-2 record, mostly due to the string of losses early in the season.
Things have been looking up with more win-loss split series, rather than sweep losses to notable Big Ten opponents. Although they lost both games against Michigan State at Wrigley Field earlier this month, the Badgers were able to compete and only go down with a one goal differential.
Wisconsin has a strong 33.8 average shots per game and holds their opponents to only 26.9, but the 3.1 goals per game is where it really counts. They play a relatively clean game with only 159 penalties on the season and have drawn 216 from their opponents. Capitalizing on the power play is an essential part of the game they play and could be a defining factor as the season closes out.
Sophomore Quinn Finley leads the team in points with 18 goals and 33 points in 24 games this season. Graduate student Ryland Mosley and freshman Gavin Morrissey follow with 27 points in 24 games each. Mosley is second in goals with 11 on the season.
Senior goaltender Tommy Scarfone has regularly started for the Badgers in net, playing 19 games and holding an impressive .919 save percentage this season. Sophomore William Gramme has been a stable backup with seven games played and a .886 save percentage. A notable difference between the two is that Scarfone faces 2.28 goals against and Gramme faces 3.17 goals against.
The rest of the season will be a test to see how the Badgers may look in the Big Ten playoffs in March. They play five more series, all against highly-ranked Big Ten opponents. The Badgers still aren’t ranked, but they are receiving votes once again, so these last 10 games will really count to determine seedings and their postseason picture.
