MADISON, Wis. – The No. 2-ranked Wisconsin women's hockey team (29-4-2, 18-4-2-0 WCHA) defeated St. Cloud State (10-24-2, 5-19-0), 5-0, Friday in the first game of the best-of-three WCHA Playoffs first round matchup at LaBahn Arena. 

Wisconsin, as has often been the case this season, jumped out to a fast start in the first period. Senior Emily Clark opened the scoring 6:16 into the game with a tight-angle shot that beat St. Cloud goalie Janine Alder over her left shoulder, Clark's 14th goal of the season. 

Less than a minute later freshman Britta Curl one-timed a pass from classmate Sophie Shirley to make the score 2-0. The goal was Curl's 17th on the year. UW has now outscored its opponents 50-13 in the first period this season. 

Curl added her second tally of the game about midway through the second period, banging in a rebound after junior Abby Roque's shot was denied. For Roque it was her team-leading 28th assist of the season.

Senior Annie Pankowski, who earlier this week was named a top-three finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award, scored off her own rebound at the 9:02 mark of the third period. Less than two minutes later, junior Presley Norby closed the scoring by taking a cross ice pass from Pankowski and firing a wrist shot into the back of the net.

Junior goalie Kristen Campbell recorded her eighth shutout of the season, making 13 saves. She now has 20 career shutouts.

Three Notes of the Game

• With a goal and two assists, Pankowski, who was named a Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Top-Three Finalist this week, recorded her 10th multi-point game of the season. She now leads the Badgers with 40 points this year.
• Curl recorded the third two-goal game of her career. She also tallied a pair of goals against Syracuse on Dec. 1 and at Ohio State on Jan. 12.
• The win was Wisconsin's 20th straight over St. Cloud State. UW has outscored the Huskies (79-10) over that streak.
   

Straight From the Rink
UW Head Coach Mark Johnson
On response after last week
"It was good. Tribute to the players, I think practices this week have been good. You sit on the bench when they drop the puck wondering what they will play like, but obviously we came out with some energy and capitalized on a couple of situations in the first period."
 
On the early goals
"If you get on the board early, especially at home in a playoff game, it creates a little bit of confidence that maybe you didn't have at the start of the game or you start second guessing. It relaxes everybody. When you're relaxed I find that you start playing free and then you are going to play better."

Senior Annie Pankowski
On responding to last week
"I think last weekend was a wake up call for a lot of people. The whole week of practices has been awesome with lots of intensity and the effort and we had fun. It definitely rolled into today. You could feel it. It was a different atmosphere on the bench."
 
On the shuffling of lines
"It was fun, you don't get a lot of opportunity to do that. When we get to do that, we get to see different people. We get to see if something else works and you don't know until you try."
 
On the team mentality in the playoffs
"It is about getting the ball moving and moving in the right direction. I think this team has it. We just have to make sure that we execute and that our effort and intensity is there all the time. It can't just be there when we need it to, it has to be there all the time."
 
Freshman Britta Curl
On coming out with early goals
"Last weekend was a little frustrating for us, we had so many shots both games. So today to come out early right away and put a couple of goals in got our confidence up so we could just play free."
 
On offensive season
"My teammates do a really good job at getting the puck in the zone, Abby is obviously huge for me this year putting the puck on my stick and has been really supportive. Honestly, it helps to have teammates that are really talented."
 
On first playoff game
"The energy in the locker room has been really high and obviously there is a lot more at stake now. It is an exciting time and everyone is super excited for it. It was good to get my first one under my belt."
 
Up Next
The Badgers and Huskies square off in game two of the series on Saturday at 3 p.m. at LaBahn. Game three, if necessary, will be played on Sunday at 2 p.m.