BEMIDJI, Minn. — In a program record-breaking sweep, the No. 1 Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team (31-1-2) snagged a second 6-1 win to close out their series against the Bemidji State Beavers (6-28-1) Saturday afternoon.
The Badgers remained dominant on the ice despite hiccups in the first period, outshooting the Beavers 34-19. Junior forward Kirsten Simms — who tallied five shots for the Badgers — lit the lamp three times for her second career hat trick and second against the Beavers.
After even back-and-forth play between the two teams in the first period, the Beavers managed to strike. Bemidji’s first line capitalized off a Quinn Kuntz turnover when sophomore Shelby Sandberg went unassisted to sneak the puck between the pipes.
Wisconsin went scoreless in the first period, unable to answer Bemidji’s early breakthrough despite outshooting them 6-5. It marked the first time the Beavers have held a lead over the Badgers since 2022.
But just 55 seconds into the second period, the game’s pace switched in favor of the Badgers when Beavers forward Isa Goettl entered the penalty box for tripping.
“Our team started to step on the gas in the second. We got a little bit of a slow start, but once you get us going, anyone on this team could put the puck in the net and create some damage,” Simms said after the game. “We started to get going on the second, and once that happened, the floodgates opened.”
With the player advantage, a Casey O’Brien pass from the side of the right pipe into the stick of Simms was enough to bring the score to an equal 1-1. O’Brien’s primary assist on the play marked the forward’s 70th point of the season, and she became the third Badger to grab over 70 points in two seasons.
Lacey Eden followed suit with another power-play goal off a primary assist from O’Brien. The forward picked up three of her four points in the game in the second period.
During an already historic season for the Badgers, junior forward Laila Edwards added her 30th goal of the season with just over eight minutes remaining.
Simms’ game wasn’t over, however, and she capitalized off Bemidji’s woes on the penalty kill. The forward closed out the second period with another power-play goal before opening the third period by completing her hat trick just 59 seconds in.
And despite the 1-0 deficit entering the second period, Wisconsin sealed its sixth unanswered goal of the season when freshman right-winger Hannah Halverson claimed her third goal of the season.
“When we hit adversity, we know how to get out of it and end up in good positions anyways,” Simms said. “We’ve had a solid year, so continuing to keep that throughout the next couple of weeks and get it done.”
The Badgers will return to the Kohl Center to face off against a familiar face, the Bemidji State Beavers, in the first round of the WCHA playoffs on Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. and March 1 at 3 p.m.
Molly Sheehan is the Sports Editor for The Daily Cardinal. She has covered Wisconsin Badgers sports teams, written articles including player profiles and game previews, and covered match-ups as a photojournalist. Follow her on X @mollyrsheehan and Instagram @msheehanphotos
