The No. 1 Wisconsin women's hockey team begins its quest for a third-straight WCHA tournament crown with a best-of-three series against Minnesota State at LaBahn Arena.
Faceoff on Friday is set for 7 p.m., while Saturday's contest is set for 4 p.m. If a third game is necessary, the Badgers and Mavericks will battle on Sunday at 3 p.m.
About the Badgers
The Badgers enter the league tournament as the No. 1 seed for the second-straight year, while Minnesota State is the No. 8 seed. The two teams opened the WCHA tournament last year against each other as UW swept the Mavericks en route to the WCHA Final Face-Off title.
UW won its sixth WCHA regular season crown as the Badgers earned 73 points during the 28-game slate.
The Badgers enter this weekend with a 16-game unbeaten-streak, which is the longest active unbeaten stretch in the country. UW has outscored its opponents 72-12 during the stretch.
Senior Ann-Renee Desbiens leads NCAA goaltenders in goals-against average with a 0.74 clip, winning percentage with a mark of .893, save percentage with a .961 clip and shutouts with 13. Desbiens now has 93 career wins and only needs seven more to match Alex Rigsby's program record.Â
Junior Annie Pankowski has been on a tear during the Badgers' unbeaten run with 30 points during the span thanks to 14 goals and 16 assists. Pankowski ranks eighth in the country in scoring, averaging 1.45 points per game.
Junior Emily Clark has proved to be clutch for UW as seven of Clark's 15 goals this season have been game-winners as she's tied for the NCAA lead in game-winning goals.
Game Information
Tickets are currently available for this weekend's series on UWBadgers.com. Season tickets, promotional coupons, sports passes and red cards are not valid for admission to WCHA tournament games. All tickets are general admission.Â
Due to WIAAÂ State Wrestling, parking is limited around LaBahn Arena as parking in Lots 46, 87 and 91 will cost $8. Please consult the Transportation Services website for more information.Â
Online Radio Stream
Fans that can't make it to LaBahn Arena can listen to an online radio stream as Reid Magnum, the voice of Wisconsin women's hockey, has the call from LaBahn Arena.
Number of the Week
51 – Ann-Renee Desbiens enters the weekend with 51 career shutouts, passing Noora Raty for the most in NCAA history. Desbiens earned the record-breaking shutout on November 6th, when the Badgers blanked Bemidji State, 6-0.
About Minnesota State
Minnesota State is the No. 8 seed in the WCHA tournament with a 4-21-3-1 record in conference play.
MSU is coming off a split with Bemidji as the Mavericks ended the regular season with a 3-1 win at BSU.
Sophomore Emily Antony leads the Mavericks with seven goals and seven assists this year in only 32 games played.
Brianna Quade holds a 3-17-3 record in net for the Mavs and a 3.13 goals-against average.
The series against Minnesota State
This weekend's series marks the 81st and 82nd times the Badgers and Mavericks have met.
The Badgers lead the all-time series with the Mavericks, 76-2-3.
UW holds a 42-2-1 record in home contests against MSU including a 14-1-0 record at LaBahn Arena.
The Badgers also hold an 8-1 record against the Mavericks in WCHA postseason play. UW swept MSU in their first-round matchup a year ago.
Desbiens earns WCHA weekly honors
After allowing only one goal on 70 shots last weekend against No. 4 Minnesota, Wisconsin women's hockey senior Ann-Renee Desbiens was named the WCHA Co-Defensive Player of the Week, as announced by the league on Tuesday.
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It marks the second straight week that Desbiens, the 2016 WCHA Player of the Year, has been named the league's defensive player of the week and her fourth time this season.
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Desbiens stopped 34 of the 35 shots she faced from Minnesota in the Badgers' 1-1 tie on Saturday and helped UW take the extra point in the ensuing shootout. On Sunday, Desbiens stopped all 35 shots she encountered to earn her NCAA-leading 13th shutout of the year.
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This season, Desbiens leads the NCAA in goals-against average (0.74), save percentage (.961) and winning percentage (.893).
Going Streaking
The Badgers currently are riding a 16-game unbeaten streak, which is the longest active streak in the country.
During the run, UW the Badgers have outscored their opponents 72-12 for a goal differential of 60.
UW has converted on 15 of its 50 power-play opportunities for a .300 clip, which paces the NCAA during the span.Â
Junior Annie Pankowski has 14 goals and 16 assists during the streak, while Emily Clark has 11 goals and 14 assists for 22 points.Â
Senior Ann-Renée Desbiens has started 15 of the 16 games, earning a 0.72 goals-against average during the run along with a .964 save percentage. She also have seven shutouts.Â
Desbiens, Pankowski named Patty Kazmaier top-10 finalists
Wisconsin senior Ann-Renée Desbiens and junior Annie Pankowski have been named top-10 finalists for the 2017 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, the highest individual honor in women's college hockey, USA Hockey announced Thursday.
It marks the second-consecutive year that Desbiens and Pankowski have been named to the top-10 list for the prestigious honor.
"They've meant a lot to our program" UW head coach Mark Johnson said. "Ann-Renee put up ridiculous numbers last year and came back this season and played extremely well. "She's won a lot of hockey games, put up some extremely impressive numbers and is certainly deserving to be on that list along with Annie, who since our first series up at Duluth has been probably one of the best players in the country. She has produced a lot of points for us and the end result is we've won a lot of games because of those two players.
"Both are very deserving and I'm very happy for both of them."
A 2016 Patty Kazmaier top-three finalist, Desbiens leads the nation this season in every major goaltending category. The native of La Malbaie, Quebec, owns NCAA-leading marks in goals-against average with a 0.74 mark, save percentage with a .961 clip, winning percentage with a .893 rate and shutouts with 13.
Desbiens sports a 6-1-3 record against ranked opponents this and allowed only two goals during UW's recent series against No. 2-ranked Minnesota Duluth and No. 4 Minnesota.
The 2016 USCHO.com Player of the Year, Desbiens broke the NCAA career shutouts record this year and currently has 51 shutouts in 113 starts. She's accumulated 93 career wins, which ranks fifth in NCAA history.
In addition, her current career goals-against average (0.91) and save percentage (.954) both would be NCAA records.
An accounting major, Desbiens is accepted into the Wisconsin School of Business to begin her Integrated Master of Accountancy degree. She volunteers with the Badger Life program, the local veterans hospital and spends time before and after games meeting with young fans that look up to her as a role model.
Pankowski, a second-team All-American last year, is enjoying a fantastic junior campaign and leads the No. 1 Badgers in points, with 42. Her 1.45 points-per-game average ranks third in the WCHA and eighth nationally.
Despite missing four games while helping the U.S. win the Four Nations Cup in November, Pankowski's 20 goals lead the WCHA and rank sixth in the country. Pankowski is also tied for the national lead in hat tricks, with two.
During UW's recent unbeaten stretch of 16 games, the longest active streak in the NCAA, Pankowski has contributed 14 goals and 16 assists.
She recently cracked the school's top-10 points list with 143, and her 1.32 points-per-game average during her three-year career ranks seventh in UW history.
A zoology major, Pankowski was named a WCHA Scholar Athlete for a second straight year and received the NCAA Elite 90 Award for having the highest grade-point average among participants at the 2016 NCAA Frozen Four.
Pankowski has spent countless hours volunteering with OccuPaws, an organization that helps raise guide dogs, as she and her roommates have hosted five dogs this season. She also has volunteered at American Family Children's Hospital, Caleb's Pitch and the Goodman Community Center food pantry.
Desbiens and Pankowski aim to become Wisconsin's fifth recipient of the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, joining Sara Bauer (2006), Jessie Vetter (2009), Meghan Duggan (2011) and Brianna Decker (2012).
In the News:
Hitting the Mark:
Wisconsin head coach
Mark Johnson became the first coach in WCHA history to record 400 career wins in the Badgers sweep of Clarkson. Johnson is only the third coach in NCAA Division I women's hockey history to collect 400 career triumphs.
