Badger Women's Hockey Starts 4-0-0
October 20, 2002 | Women's Hockey
Wisconsin is 4-0-0 for the first time in its women's hockey history after earning a 4-2 victory over Connecticut at UConn Ice Arena, Sunday.
Wisconsin gained an early lead when Nicole Uliasz (Chalfont, Pa.) scored her team-leading third goal of the season. The defender skated in from the point to pick up a loose puck to the right of UConn goaltender Shannon Murphy. The sophomore lifted the puck over a sprawled Murphy and under the crossbar for the 3:19 score. Michelle Sikich (Apple Valley, Minn.) and Steph Boeckmann (St. Cloud, Minn.) had assists on the play.
Connecticut got on the board for the first time in the series early in the second period to tie the contest at one. Caitlyn Salazar-Reid converted a rebound during a UConn power play 2:28 into the period to make it a 1-1 game.
The teams skated the rest of the period scoreless, with play appearing even, but the Badgers outshot the Huskies 15-6 in the stanza.
Nearly 20 minutes after UConn tied the game, early in the third period, Wisconsin regained the lead. The Badgers scored their first of three-consecutive rebound goals with a score at 2:02. Kerry Weiland (Palmer, Alaska) turned a save on an Uliasz shot into a goal, putting the puck over a sprawled Murphy. The goal was her first of the season.
Jackie Friesen (Regina, Saskatchewan) increased the lead to 3-1 with the UW's first power-play goal of the game. The sophomore stuffed home a rebound after Kendra Antony (Yorkton, Saskatchewan) had a shot stopped. Meghan Hunter (Oil Springs, Ontario) got the second assist on the goal at 4:23.
Wisconsin struck again at 6:18 with a second power-play tally, this time off Sis Paulsen's (Eau Claire, Wis.) stick. Antony fed Hunter, who fired from the high slot. Paulsen followed the play and found room above UConn's Murphy for the for her first of the season.
UConn crept back in the game with its own power-play score at 11:30. Sara Mahoney pounced on a rebound on the left side of the goal following Stefanie Snow 's shot from the right.
UW goaltender Jackie MacMillan (Buffalo, Minn.), stopped UConn's best chance the rest of the way during a UW penalty kill to preserve the win. She stopped a shot from a player streaking down the right side, and dove across the ice to stop the rebound with her stick on the left.
MacMillan made 22 saves and improved to 4-0-0 with the victory. UConn's Murphy made 40 stops, but lost for the third time this year.
Wisconsin (4-0-0) returns home next weekend for a pair against two-time defending champion and top-ranked Minnesota-Duluth (4-0-0, 2-0-0 WCHA). The Badgers open their conference season on Friday and Saturday night with 7:05 p.m. starts at the Kohl Center.
