Women’s hockey picks up 6-1 win against Bemidji State

BEMIDJI, Minn. — The No. 1 Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team’s (30-1-2) slow start against the Bemidji State Beavers (6-27-1) steamrolled into an eventful 6-1 win at the Sanford Center Friday afternoon. 

During a quiet first period uncharacteristic of Wisconsin’s season thus far, the Badgers only notched 11 shots on goal. 

One of the 11 shots came from junior defenseman and co-captain Caroline Harvey, who found the back of the net early by sneaking the puck past the skates of Bemidji’s goaltender. 

The goal marked Harvey’s 50th point on the season and was enough to steal the program record for most points by a defender in a single season, a record previously set by Meaghan Mikkelson in 2006-07.  

“My teammate had said something to me about the milestone, but I’m just glad we got the win, we just had a week off,” Harvey said after the game. “We’re going to keep pushing forward, and we’re focused on the playoffs and what matters.”

Despite the calm in the first period, the storm began to pick up in a penalty-ridden second period for the Badgers. 

Junior forward Marianne Picard entered the penalty box with 17 minutes, one second remaining in the second period. The Badgers’ defensive efforts effectively killed the Beavers’ advantage, allowing zero shots on goal. 

But Bemidji responded to Wisconsin’s first-period goal after senior forward Sarah Wozniewicz entered the penalty box for cross-checking. With a player advantage, Beavers’ Isa Goettl snuck the puck past goaltender Ava McNaughton to bring the score 1-1. 

The Badgers found their footing and doubled their lead with two goals in just two minutes to close out the second period. Co-captain Casey O’Brien’s breakaway goal came shortly after sophomore forward Cassie Hall’s goal built the Badgers’ momentum moving into the third period. 

“It gave us some extra momentum when Cassie put that in the net. It was a difference-maker. We needed that goal, and we got some momentum after that,” Harvey said. 

Assistant captain Laila Edwards set the tone for the Badgers in the third period after finding her 29th goal of the season and sixth goal against the Beavers.

For the rest of the period, Wisconsin continued to chip away at the Beavers’ defence. 

And eight shots later, O'Brien skated down the right lane into Beaver territory to find the back of the net for her second goal of the game. 

But the game wasn’t over. With just 31 seconds left in the game, Wisconsin’s offensive groove held strong as freshman forward Finley McCarthy found the back of the net to seal the 6-1 deal for the Badgers — their 30th win this season.

Wisconsin returns to Samford Center to close out its series against Bemidji and wrap up its regular season on Saturday at 2 p.m.

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