The No. 1 Wisconsin women's hockey team, off to its best start in program history, wraps up a six-game homestand with a Border Battle clash with No. 3 Minnesota at LaBahn Arena. Friday's contest begins at 7 p.m., while Saturday's game starts at 3 p.m.
Team Notes
UW enters the weekend leading the country in scoring defense with a goals-against average of 0.38.The Cardinal and White also ranks third in the country scoring offense averaging 4.94 goals per contest.
The Badgers lead the NCAA in penalty killing with a .979 clip. UW has killed 46 of its 47 penalties, and has scored six short-handed goals in 16 games.The Cardinal and White has killed its last 41 penalties. The last power-play goal UW gave up was on Oct. 3, 2015, in a 8-1 win over Providence in San Jose, California.Last season, UW set the NCAA record for penalty killing with a .958 clip.
Wisconsin leads the country in shots on goal per game, averaging 44.75 shots per contest.The Badgers have recorded 50 or more shots on net in their past three games, including a season-high 63 shots on goal during UW's 4-0 win over Dartmouth on Nov. 28.The Cardinal and White are limiting its opponents to 15.31 shots on goal per contest, which leads the NCAA.The Badgers' shot margin of 29.44 is not only the best mark in the country, but their shot margin is more than nine shots better than second-place Minnesota ( 20.25).
Player Notes
Annie Pankowski leads the team with 11 goals and 18 assists for 29 points this season. The sophomore has a 19-game point streak, which is tied for the fifth-longest in school history. During her run, UW is 18-1 and has outscored its opponents 90-10.
Sophomore Emily Clark has scored a goal in six-straight games, which is the fourth-longest streak in school and WCHA history.Clark leads the Badgers in goals with 12 this season in only 14 games played. She is tied for seventh in country in goals per game, averaging 0.86 goals per contest.
Junior Sarah Nurse ranks sixth in the country goals per game, averaging 0.92 goals per contest. The Hamilton, Ontario, native also ranks second nationally in game-winning goals with four.
Ann-Renée Desbiens leads the nation in save percentage (.972) and goals-against average (0.44). She also leads the country in shutouts with nine and is one of two goalies with a perfect record this season.Desbiens' nine shutouts ranked fifth in program history. Last season the La Malbaie, Quebec, native tied a UW record with 14 shutouts.Desbiens also has 26 career shutouts, which ranks third in program history and is the sixth-best mark in NCAA history.
Junior Jenny Ryan leads the country's defensemen in points per game, averaging 1.25 points per contest. With her 20 points so this season, Ryan is only two points away from matching her season-high point total from last season.
Senior Courtney Burke is second in the country in points among defensemen, averaging 1.19 points per contest. Her 92 career points are the fourth-most in program history among defensemen.Burke is seven points away from moving into 20th on the school's all-time scoring list and eight points away from becoming the third blue-liner in school history to reach 100 career points.
Number of the week73 -The Badgers have outscored their opponents by 73 goals through 16 games of the 2015-16 season. The Cardinal and White have scored 79 goals this year and are averaging 4.97 goals per game, while giving up an average of 0.38 goals per contest.
The Series vs. Minnesota The Badgers trail the all-time series with Minnesota 26-44-9. It is one of only two series that Wisconsin trails its opponent in.
UW snapped a 14-game losing skid to the Gophers last year with a 1-1 tie in Minneapolis on Jan. 11.
Wisconsin's last win against its Border- Battle rival was on Oct. 14, 2011 as the Badgers dispatched the Golden Gophers, 3-2.
The two programs have combined to win nine of the past 12 NCAA titles.
The nation's best meed in Madison
This weekend's Border Battle will feature the country's top scoring offense against the NCAA's best scoring defense.
The Badgers lead the NCAA in scoring defense with a 0.38 goals-against average. Minnesota is averaging 6.06 goals per game to lead the NCAA in scoring offense.
In addition, Wisconsin has the nation's best penalty kill with a .979 clip (46/47), while Minnesota leads the country in the power play with a .490 (24/49) conversion rate.
Both teams rank in the top four in the country in shots on goal per game, as UW is averaging 44.75 shots on goal per game, while UM is fourth, averaging 36.75 shots on net.
Last time vs. Minnesota: Wisconsin 1, Minnesota 3(March. 20, 2015)
Despite outshooting Minnesota 35-23, the No. 4-seeded Wisconsin women's hockey team fell 3-1in the semifinals of the 2015 NCAA Frozen Four to top-seeded Minnesota at Ridder Arena.
UWfreshman Annie Pankowski scored the Badgers' (29-7-4) lone goal of the game, which came 52 seconds in to the second period. It marked her 21st goal of the season and 43rd point, both team highs. Pankowski became the first freshman since Sara Bauer during the 2003-04 season to lead UW in goals and points.
The two teams battled in the first period, but neither could light the lamp as Wisconsin outshot Minnesota, 12-7, in the frame.
All four of the game's goals came in the second period, as UW scored first before Minnesota rattled off three straight in the later part of the period.
Off an offensive zone faceoff 52 seconds into the second, Clark won the draw right to Pankowski, who snapped off a shot, beating Minnesota netminder Amanda Leveille top shelf.
Minnesota tied the game with 11 minutes remaining the second, as Hannah Brandt scored on a scramble in front of the UW net.
Less than two minutes later, the Golden Gophers scored again, as Maryanne Menefee tipped in a Megan Wolfe shot to take a 2-1 lead with 9:08 remaining in the period.
After a
Brittany Ammerman penalty, Minnesota capitalized on its first power-play chance of the game. Kelly Pannek absorbed a shot from the point and then pounced on the rebound, going top shelf to give Minnesota a 3-1 lead after two periods of play.
The Badgers pulled Ann-Ren
ée Desbiens in favor of the extra attacker with over three minutes to play, but the additional pressure wasn't enough to put another puck in the net against Leveille, who finished the game with 34 saves.
Last Time Out: Wisconsin4,Dartmouth0 (Nov. 22, 2015)Thanks to a three-goal flurry in the second period, the undefeated and top-ranked Wisconsin women's hockey team completed its sweep of Dartmouth with a 4-0 victory on Saturday afternoon.
Sarah Nurse tallied two goals, marking the seventh-time the junior has recorded a multi-goal game.
For the sixth-straight game, sophomore
Emily Clark tallied a goal, while freshman
Sam Cogan rounded out the scoring for the Cardinal and White. Junior
Sydney McKibbon tied a career high with three assists in the win, while captain
Courtney Burke and sophomore
Annie Pankowski each added two assists.
Junior netminder Ann-Renée Desbiens saved all nine shots the Big Green threw her way to earn her ninth shutout of the season. The La Malbaie, Quebec, native now has 26 career shutouts, which ranks sixth in NCAA history.
The Badgers (16-0-0, 10-0-0-0 WCHA) outshot Dartmouth (4-4-2, 4-1-2 ECAC) 63-9, and the Cardinal and White limited the Big Green to four shots on goal in the final 40 minutes. Wisconsin's 63 shots on goal rank sixth in program history.
UW applied pressure earlier on Dartmouth, outshooting the Big Green 20-5 in the first frame, but both teams had a quiet period in comparison to Friday evening's game, as there were no goals or penalties in the opening period.
It took almost 30 minutes for the UW offense to find its groove, but the Badgers would score three times in a span of 6 minutes, 12 seconds to open the game up.
Midway through the second frame, Dartmouth's Laura Stacey took a tripping penalty to give UW the first power play of the night. Less than ten seconds into the power play, Nurse received a pass in front of Big Green goaltender Robyn Chemago and sent the snipe straight to the top shelf to give the Badgers a 1-0 lead.
Pankowski earned a secondary assist on the game-winning goal to extend her point streak to 19 games, which is tied for the fifth-longest point streak in UW history. Pankowski has notched 33 points with 14 goals and 19 assists during the incredible run.
Nurse would strike again a short time later, as McKibbon centered a pass from behind Chemago, where Nurse sent a rocket into the net.
The Badgers' third score would come quickly, when senior defenseman
Courtney Burke took a slapshot from the point that Clark tipped in for her third point of the weekend.
Cogan would add the final goal late in the third period, tipping in Pankowski's wrist shot from the point. The score marked Wisconsin's third power-play goal of the contest.
The Big Green went on their only power play of the game late in the final period, but were unable to send a shot past Desbiens despite the advantage.
Channell to represent Canada at Nations Cup
Hockey Canada announced Wednesday that Wisconsin women's hockey junior Mellissa Channell earned a spot on Canada's National Women's Development Team that will compete at the 2016 Nations Cup.
Channell is one of seven defensemen on the 22- player roster that will seek to defend its gold medal from last year's Nations Cup.
The Nations Cup, formerly known as the Air Canada Cup, MLP Cup and Meco Cup, brings together Canada's National Women's Development Team and national teams from Finland, Germany, Russia, Sweden and Switzerland for a four-day international tournament, Jan. 4-7, in Füssen, Germany.
Channell has appeared in 13 games this season for the Badgers and is currently tied for the team lead in blocks with 16. The Oakville, Ontario native has one goal and nine assists for UW this season.
Badgers sign seven for 2016-17 season
The Wisconsin women's hockey program and head coachMark Johnson announced the signing of seven student-athletes for the 2016-17 season on Tuesday.
?Joining the Badgers next fall are goaltenders Alyson Baldwin (Richmond, Texas) andNicole Cece (Oakville, Ontario), forwards Alexis Mauermann (Janesville, Wisconsin),Presley Norby (Shorewood, Minnesota) and Abby Roque (Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan) and defensemen Maddie Rowe (River Falls, Wisconsin) and MeKenzie Steffen (Centerville, Minnesota).
"It's a big class," Johnson said. "It's probably one or two players bigger than what we normally have, but with eight seniors graduating we need to fill positions and bring kids in who are capable of playing next year and helping the team. In saying that, you look at the group and whether in net, on the blue line or up front, there's a lot of exciting players and kids who have experienced good things at their respective club and high school teams but also at the national and international level."
Between the seven players, five have represented their respective countries at international events, including Norby, who played earlier this month for the United States National Team at the 2015 Four Nations Cup, helping Team USA win gold.
Learn more about the class here.
Note of the Week
Wisconsin goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens's26career shutoutsnot onlyrankthird in program history,but the junior goaltender moevd into sole possesion of sixth inNCAA history in shutouts heading into this weekend.
The Quest for 400
Wisconsin head coach Mark Johnson enters this weekend with a 376-70-34 record in his 13 years on the UW bench. His 376wins are the fourth-most in NCAA Division I women's hockey history.
The other three coaches to reach 350 wins at the NCAA Division I level are Katey Stone (Harvard), Michael Sisti (Mercyhurst) and Shannon Miller (Minnesota Duluth).
Johnson only needs 10wins to pass former UMD bench boss Shannon Miller for third on the all-time list.
Home, Sweet Home
At LaBahn Arena, the Badgers are tough to beat, as UW is 51-11-3 (.819) at the new barn.The Badgers have outscored their opponents 202-62at LaBahn Arena, and have posted 23shutouts.
In eighthome games this year, the Badgers have outscored their opposition 39-2at LaBahn Arena.
