Women's Hockey - The Daily Cardinal

Wisconsin celebrates its win over Boston College in the national semi-final, which sent them to the national title, a contest which they dropped to Clarkson.

WOMEN'S HOCKEY

Despite postseason losses, Wisconsin seniors left lasting legacy

By Cameron Lane-Flehinger | Mar. 27, 2017

With 125 wins, two WCHA regular season championships, three conference tournament titles and four straight Frozen Four appearances, Wisconsin's senior class has had a career that most collegiate players can only dream of. Yet for as much as they've won, those six players—Sarah Nurse, Sydney McKibbon, Mikayla Johnson, Mellissa Channell, Jenny Ryan and Ann-Renée Desbiens—have always been defined as much by their failures as by their successes. While they won the WCHA, they couldn't beat Minnesota in Minneapolis.

The Wisconsin Badgers fell one win short of capturing their fifth national title in program history. The Clarkson Knights celebrate their championship in the background as the horn sounds.

WOMEN'S HOCKEY

Wisconsin Badgers plethora of scoring chances not enough to capture national title

By Cameron Lane-Flehinger | Mar. 25, 2017

ST. CHARLES, Mo. — Even the best game plans can fail to produce results, and even the best players can make mistakes. Wisconsin’s women’s hockey team learned those lessons the hard way in their 3-0 championship game loss to Clarkson last Sunday at the Family Arena in St.

WOMEN'S HOCKEY

Top-ranked Wisconsin Badgers upset by No. 2 Clarkson in National Championship Game

By Ben Leadholm | Mar. 21, 2017

ST. CHARLES, Mo. — It wasn’t supposed to end this way for the Wisconsin women’s hockey team.

WOMEN'S HOCKEY

Drive for five: Wisconsin must avoid slow start, miscues in National Championship

By Cameron Lane-Flehinger | Mar. 19, 2017

Get pucks to the net and good things will happen. It’s nearly a piece of hockey gospel; a line repeated ad nauseam by players and coaches as a way to deal with the luck inherent in their sport. And if getting pucks to the net is gospel, then Wisconsin head coach Mark Johnson is one of the primary disciples.

WOMEN'S HOCKEY

At long last: Wisconsin finally gets over hump with win over Boston College, advances to championship game Sunday afternoon

By Ben Leadholm | Mar. 17, 2017

ST. CHARLES, Mo. — After falling in the semifinals the past three seasons, No. 1 Wisconsin (33-2-4) began the season with an all-in mentality towards a national title.

WOMEN'S HOCKEY

Back-to-back-to-back-to-back: Wisconsin Badgers advance to fourth-straight Frozen Four

By Cameron Lane-Flehinger | Mar. 11, 2017

Playing in its first-ever NCAA tournament game, Robert Morris took the ice against No. 1 Wisconsin and for the first 13 minutes managed to play toe-to-toe with the top-ranked team in the country. Then junior forward Annie Pankowski forced a turnover, senior forward Sarah Nurse scored, and the Badgers (22-2-4 WCHA, 32-2-4 overall) proceeded to dominate the next 27 minutes of play en route to a 7-0 win over the Colonials (15-3-2 CHA, 24-5-6 overall) in the quarterfinal game.

WOMEN'S HOCKEY

Badgers break down Rooney, Minnesota-Duluth to claim third-straight WCHA title

By Cameron Lane-Flehinger | Mar. 5, 2017

University of Minnesota-Duluth goaltender Maddie Rooney had stolen the show the day before against Minnesota, and for 40 minutes, she threatened to do the same to Wisconsin in the final of the WCHA Tournament. The sophomore netminder had turned back 42 of the Badgers’ 43 shots, and with the score tied 1-1 the game, and the conference title, were up for grabs in the final period. It took junior forward Annie Pankowski just 33 seconds to break the tie, the first of three goals in the final frame that gave No. 1 Wisconsin (22-2-4 WCHA, 31-2-4 overall) a 4-1 win over No. 2 Minnesota-Duluth (19-5-4, 25-6-5). The victory gave the Badgers the WCHA Tournament title, their third consecutive and seventh overall. "I'm excited for the players," head coach Mark Johnson told UWBadgers.com.

WOMEN'S HOCKEY

Wisconsin battles past North Dakota, advances to WCHA title game

By Ben Leadholm | Mar. 4, 2017

All season long No. 1 Wisconsin and North Dakota have played tough, physical — and at points chippy — games.

Annie Pankowski looks to lead Wisconsin to its second consecutive WCHA Final Face-Off title.

WOMEN'S HOCKEY

No. 1 Wisconsin advances despite injury to Nurse

By Cameron Lane-Flehinger | Feb. 25, 2017

Wisconsin was riding high, up 5-0 in the second game of their first-round series against Minnesota State and less than 10 minutes away from completing the sweep. Then Sarah Nurse got hit late and high by Minnesota State’s Demi Gardner, and as the senior forward lay in the fetal position on the ice, what had looked seconds earlier to be a sure win suddenly seemed like it might come with a loss. Ultimately the No. 1 Badgers (22-2-4 WCHA, 29-2-4 overall) did come away with a 6-0 victory over the Mavericks (4-21-3, 7-26-4) to extend their 17-game unbeaten streak and secure a spot in the WCHA semifinal behind six goals from their top line of Nurse and junior forwards Annie Pankowski and Emily Clark. “Emily had good energy, good speed; that’s as fast as she’s probably played all year.

Wisconsin's quest for its fifth national title begins this weekend at LaBahn Arena against Robert Morris.

WOMEN'S HOCKEY

Badgers blow out Minnesota State to open WCHA playoffs

By Ben Leadholm | Feb. 25, 2017

Five different Badgers scored goals as top-ranked Wisconsin (23-2-4 WCHA, 27-2-4 overall) routed Minnesota State (4-22-3, 7-25-4) 7-0 to open WCHA playoff play Friday night at LaBahn Arena. “We had good energy,” head coach Mark Johnson said.

Courtney Fredrickson tied a career-high with 18 points and set a career-high with 14 rebounds, but UW still fell to Minnesota.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Fredrickson, Van Leeuwen set to be faces of new era for Badgers

By Isaiah De los Santos | Feb. 20, 2017

On a campus like UW-Madison, where football and men’s basketball grab headlines week in and week out, women’s sports can go unnoticed, despite achieving continuous success.

WOMEN'S HOCKEY

No. 1 Badgers battle No. 2 Bulldogs to draw in regulation, win in 12-round shootout

By Cameron Lane-Flehinger | Feb. 12, 2017

Through almost 50 minutes of play Wisconsin and Minnesota-Duluth, the top two women’s hockey teams in the country, had played a tight, closely-fought game that lived up to the expectations surrounding a No. 1 vs No. 2 matchup.