MADISON, Wis. – The second-ranked Wisconsin women's hockey team continues their three-series road trip this weekend as they head to Mankato, Minnesota, to take on the Minnesota State Mavericks. Puck drop on Friday at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center is set for 6 p.m. while Saturday's series finale begins at 3 p.m. CT.
Fans can watch the action live on B1G+, listen to Reid Magnum on 1070 AM or follow all the action on Twitter @BadgerWHockey.
1. LAST TIME OUT: Starting off their three-straight road series, the Badgers traveled to northern Minnesota to take on the Bemidji State Beavers for the second time this season. Nine different Badgers lit the lamp in the 13-1 triumph over the Beavers on Dec. 2. Britta Curl tallied her first collegiate hat trick in addition to two assists, while Casey O'Brien grabbed six points. On Dec. 3, Wisconsin completed the sweep over Bemidji with a 4-1 win.
2. WELCOME TO WISCONSIN: The Badgers announced their incoming class of freshmen on Tuesday as six new players will join the program next fall. Forwards Kelly Gorbatenko (Barrington, Illinois), Cassie Hall (South Lyon, Michigan) and Bella Vasseur (Oregon, Wisconsin), defenders Ava Murphy (Kitchener, Ontario) and Laney Potter (Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania) and goaltender Ava McNaughton (Seven Fields, Pennsylvania) are set to join the Badgers. Learn more about the incoming the class here.
3. DUO EARNS WCHA HONORS: After a stellar showing against the Beavers, Badgers' captain Britta Curl was named the WCHA Forward of the Week while freshman defender Vivian Jungels collected WCHA Rookie of the Week. Curl enjoyed a seven-point outing in the sweep against the Beavers, posting a hat trick and two assists on Friday and two more goals on Saturday. Jungels completed the weekend with two goals and two assists, earning her the first WCHA accolade of her collegiate career. Curl and Jungels are the eighth and ninth different Badgers this year to earn WCHA weekly accolades.
4. RECORD BOOK WATCH: Following the high scoring weekend, four Badgers are nearing milestones in their career. After posting seven points each this weekend,
Britta Curl and
Casey O'Brien are both nearing 100 career points. Curl currently stands at 96 points, while O'Brien has 91. Also aiming for 100 career points is defender
Nicole LaMantia who currently has 95 as she looks to become only the fourth UW defender to hit the century milestone. Joining O'Brien and Curl in a seven-point weekend with two goals and five helpers,
Sophie Shirley is just two assists away from 100 career assists.
5. AGAINST MINNESOTA STATE: Wisconsin currently leads the all-time series against Minnesota State 95-3-3. The Badgers swept the 2021-22 season series against the Mavericks, outscoring them 20-7 in all four triumphs. Both the Badgers and the Mavericks feature head coaches from the storybook 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team that captured gold in Lake Placid, N.Y. UW head coach
Mark Johnson and MSU head coach John Harrington were forwards for the Americans and both recorded points in the team's legendary semi-final against the Soviets.
