Game Coverage
Thursday, Sept. 28 | 7 pm — LaBahn Arena
Game Coverage
Friday, Sept. 29 | 7 pm — LaBahn Arena
MADISON, Wis. – Following a sweep of Lindenwood to open the 2017-18 season, the No. 2 Wisconsin women's hockey team takes on Mercyhurst in a Thursday-Friday series at LaBahn Arena. Both contests will begin at 7 p.m. and Thursday's game serves as Student Night as the first 350 UW-Madison students to redeem their tickets online before the game get in for free. Parking for both games is free in Lot 91 after 5 p.m.
Fans can follow the game on Twitter (@BadgerWHockey) and check UWBadgers.com following each game for a recap. In addition, WSUM will provide an audio broadcast for each game of the series.
1. ALL THEY DO IS WIN: Thursday and Friday's contests between the Badgers and the Lakers will feature two of the all-time winningest women's hockey coaches in UW head coach Mark Johnson and Mercyhurst head coach Michael Sisti. Sisti has notched 444 wins during his 19 seasons at the head of the Mercyhurst program. Johnson, who is currently in his 15th season at Wisconsin, boasts 430 wins. The pair rank second and third in NCAA Division I women's hockey history.
2. LOTS OF HISTORY: Prior to this week's series, the Badgers and Lakers have met nine times, with Wisconsin coming out on top in all nine previous meetings. Four of the last nine meetings between the two teams have been in the NCAA tournament. One of the most memorable meetings between the two teams came in the NCAA title game in 2009, when the Badgers defeated the Lakers, 5-0, to capture their third national crown. The most recent meeting between UW and MU came in the quarterfinals of the 2016 NCAA Tournament when Wisconsin blanked Mercyhurst, 6-0, at LaBahn Arena to reach the Frozen Four for the ninth time in program history.
3. HOME COOKING: With the sweep of Lindenwood last weekend, Wisconsin improves its home winning streak to 14 games. The Badgers have not lost a game at LaBahn Arena since Dec. 3, 2016. Before then, the Badgers posted an impressive 31-game unbeaten streak at their home barn, which included the program's first perfect record at home during the 2015-16 season.
4. NODAK REUNION: UW netminder Kristen Campbell, who went 2-0 in her first weekend with the Badgers, will face three of her former North Dakota teammates this weekend in Mercyhurst forwards Emma Nuutinen and Vilma Tanskanen and goaltender Kennedy Blair. The quartet played together at North Dakota last year before the school ended its women's hockey program last March.
5. STILL STELLAR IN SEPTEMBER: After sweeping Lindenwood, UW improved to 15-0-1 all-time in contests in September. UW has averaged 6.1 goals per game during the ninth month of the year while only giving up an average of 0.75 goals per game. UW is also 8-0 at home during September and now 2-0 at LaBahn Arena during the month.
