Wisconsin Badgers
Minnesota
Five Things to Know: No. 3 Badgers take on No. 2 Minnesota in Twin Cities
December 06, 2023 | Women's Hockey
Badgers wrap up first half with Border Battle
MADISON, Wis. – The No. 3 Wisconsin women’s hockey team is wrapping up the first half of the 2023-24 season with a Border Battle showdown against No. 2 Minnesota at Ridder Arena. Puck drop for Friday is set for 6 p.m. while Saturday’s series finale will begin at 2 p.m.
Both games will stream on Big Ten Plus while fans can also listen to the games on The Game 1070 AM. Saturday’s contest will air in Madison on TVW (Channel 3-2).
1. LAST TIME OUT
Wisconsin faced No. 6 Minnesota Duluth, shutting out the Bulldogs 3-0 on Saturday afternoon before ultimately splitting the series on Sunday afternoon after a 3-2 heartbreaker.
Captain Britta Curl tallied four points in the series, with an assist on Casey O’Brien’s goal in Sunday’s game marking her 150th career point.
Badger blueliner, Caroline Harvey, made her return to the lineup this past weekend after being away since Oct. 20. Harvey recorded three helpers against the Bulldogs.
Goalie Jane Gervais earned her fourth shutout of the season in the series opener as she stopped the 20 shots she faced.
Welcome to the team, Sophia Kunin! @sophiakunin ?
— PWHL Minnesota (@PWHL_Minnesota) December 1, 2023
Sophia's impressive journey includes captaining the 2019 NCAA Championship team at the University of Wisconsin and scoring the game-winning goal, leading Wisconsin to its fifth NCAA Title. pic.twitter.com/JqU9aoarVf
2. BADGERS IN THE PROS
Former Wisconsin forward, Sophia (Shaver) Kunin, has signed a one-year contract with PWHL Minnesota after being picked 60th overall in the 10th round of the inaugural PWHL draft. Kunin joins fellow Badger Natalie Buchbinder in Minnesota.
Twelve of the fourteen former Badgers on PWHL rosters have now signed contracts across the six franchises.
The league is set to begin games in January of 2024 with home openers ranging from Jan. 1 to Jan. 13.
3. RIVALRY RENEWED
A total of 13 Badgers will compete in the second round of the Rivalry Series between the U.S. and Canada in December. Eight Badgers will suit up for Team USA, including current Badgers Britta Curl, Lacey Eden, Laila Edwards, Caroline Harvey, Kirsten Simms and Anna Wilgren. Simms will make her U.S. senior team debut while Edwards recently made her USA debut in November at the first round of the Rivalry Series. The group of six will join Badger alums Hilary Knight and Abby Roque on the U.S. roster.
Five former Badgers will compete for Hockey Canada as Kristen Campbell, Emily Clark, Ann-Renee Desbiens, Sarah Nurse and Blayre Turnbull will don the maple leaf against the U.S.
The two teams will play on Dec. 14 and Dec. 17 and both games will be shown in the U.S. on NHL Network.
An overtime thriller??@BadgerWHockey gets the 3-2 victory over rival Minnesota to go to the finals of the @NCAAIceHockey Frozen Four with this Caroline Harvey goal. ?? pic.twitter.com/4DJdh4yyOk
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) March 18, 2023
4. BORDER BATTLE HISTORY
Wisconsin trails the all-time series against Minnesota, 47-56-16, but the Badgers controlled the Border Battle in the 2022-23 season. During the regular season, UW went 2-0-2 against UM to capture both series wins.
The Badgers then went on to triumph over the Gophers in the national semifinal game, upsetting the rival 3-2 nearly 17 minutes into overtime thanks to a Caroline Harvey goal.
5. OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN
Senior Britta Curl became only the 14th player in school history to tally 150 career points on Sunday as she assisted on UW's goal in the final seconds. The captain leads the NCAA in points with 32 and is 11 points shy of matching her 43 points during the 2022-23 season.
The Bismarck, North Dakota, native also leads the country in assists with 20 and is only four away from matching her season total from last season.
A two-time captain for the Badgers, Curl enjoyed a 10-game goal streak earlier this season, a program-best mark.
