Five Things To Know: Badgers hit the road for St. Cloud State

UW opens November with a ranked showdown in Minnesota

MADISON, Wis. – The top-ranked Wisconsin women’s hockey team will continue its road stint with a series against No. 11 St. Cloud State this Friday and Saturday at Herb Brooks National Hockey Center. Puck drop for Friday’s tilt is set for 3 p.m., while Saturday’s series finale will begin at 1 p.m.

Fans can watch both games on B1G+ or listen to the series on 1070 AM in the Madison area. In addition, Saturday's game will be shown in the Madison area on the TVW.

Wisconsin women's hockey celebrates a goal against St. Thomas on Oct. 27, 2023

1. Last Time Out

The Badgers continued their stellar start to the 2023-24 season at St. Thomas Ice Arena as they took down St. Thomas 5-3 on Friday night before completing the sweep with a 3-0 shutout on Saturday night. Britta Curl scored in each game of the series to extend her goal streak to nine-straight games, which is tied for the longest goal streak in program history. Senior Casey O’Brien and sophomore Kirsten Simms each tallied five points in the series. Goalies Jane Gervais and Ava McNaughton each earned a win in the series, with McNaughton picking up her second shutout of the season.

2. MIKKELSON RETIRES

Former Wisconsin women’s hockey standout Meaghan Mikkelson announced her retirement from professional hockey after an impressive career. A two-time national champion for the Badgers and a First Team All-American in 2007, Mikkelson not only left her mark on Wisconsin but Canada as well. During her international hockey career, she led Canada to gold at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics and silver at the 2018 Winter Olympics. Mikkelson isn’t stepping far away from the game as she is currently serving as the radio color commentator for the Calgary Flames.

The Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team defeats Bemidji in the LaBahn Arena on October 20, 2023 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (Photo by Taylor Wolfram / UW-Athletics

3. 10/10 Start

Top-ranked Wisconsin has started its season off with a sparkling record of 10-0-0. UW is no stranger to starting the season off strong, with their last 10-0-0 start taking place in the 2021-22 season. The Badgers hold the best overall record in the WCHA and sit alongside Ohio State with a 6-0-0 record in conference play.

4. Badger Duo Earn WCHA Monthly Honors

Following an undefeated month, Wisconsin women's hockey senior Britta Curl and freshman Ava McNaughton received WCHA October monthly awards, with Curl being named the WCHA Forward of the Month and McNaughton honored as the Rookie of the Month. Captain of the Badgers, Curl, posted an impressive 20 points on nine goals and 11 assists throughout UW’s eight games in October and is currently tied for the school record for longest goal streak with 10 goals in her last nine games. McNaughton, a Seven Fields, Pennsylvania, native, earned a perfect 4-0-0 throughout her second month as a Badger, while her .953 save percentage ranked third among the league and was the best of any freshman.

Maddi Wheeler skates the puck against St. Cloud State during the 2021-22 season

5. Against St. Cloud State

Wisconsin leads the all-time series against St. Cloud 95-9-4, including a 3-1-0 record in the 2022-23 season. Captain Britta Curl has 21 points off 13 goals and 8 assists in 16 career games against the Huskies, while goalie Jane Gervais holds a 2-0-0 record against SCSU. Badger legend and two-time national champion Jinelle (Zaugg) Siergiej will be on the bench for the Huskies as an associate head coach. Additionally, St. Cloud State head coach Brian Idalski was coached by Badger bench boss Mark Johnson during the 1995-96 season while Johnson was coaching the Madison Monsters.

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