Last year’s championship face-off against the Ohio State Buckeyes ended the Wisconsin women’s hockey team’s hopes of winning their eighth ever NCAA title quite bluntly with a 1-0 loss.
This year, the Badgers have worked their way up the ladder once again with only a loss and a shootout loss. With a historic 31 wins in 34 games, this No. 1 women’s hockey team has proven themselves worthy of making it to the WCHA playoffs and potentially clinching their 11th NCAA title game in just 19 years (excluding COVID-19).
What college hockey fans around the country should expect after Wisconsin’s phenomenal run this season is nothing short of winning ways. The Badgers have a dominating 4.48 goal difference average this season, and the offense has played a significant role in this feat.
As of the Badgers’ most recent game against Bemidji State, forward Casey O'Brien leads the team with 72 points this season. She also has 49 assists under her belt over 34 games.
The list of the top three goal scorers for Wisconsin this season is led by forward Laila Edwards with 30 goals, O’Brien with 23 goals and Lacey Eden with 22.
The postseason games for Wisconsin should pose quite the challenge against five other ranked teams in the country.
But as history from past seasons has shown, head coach Mark Johnson and these Badgers have repeatedly been able to adapt under adverse circumstances and surpass any team that comes in between them and an NCAA title.
“We've got a lot of good players and we've had a lot of good teams, and what I like is the relationship that we've created between our fans, the community and our hockey team,” Johnson said after his 600th win with the Badgers.
And if this season has shown anything, the Badgers have no scope to lose if they continue their dominating play.
Wisconsin leads the list in three different categories among all other NCAA-ranked teams. First in average goals scored per game this season with 5.63 goals, 4.48 goal difference per game average and 1.1 goals conceded per game this season.
These basic statistics are a depiction of how well the offensive and defensive sides of this team gel together. The chemistry between the players is of utmost importance, and going ahead, this postseason’s challenges are only going to end up making them closer and stronger.
Johnson seemed to be confident with his team’s trajectory earlier in the season, saying, “Twenty-some years ago we had women's hockey, but today, a lot of people know and come and support a program.”
Winning ways are bound to lie ahead of a team that has made it so far and achieved numerous great victories at such a high level.
The Wisconsin Badgers will return to LaBahn to play the Bemidji Beavers this weekend as they start the first round of the WCHA playoffs.
