Click the blog title to go view the page:
The No. 2 Wisconsin women’s hockey team goes head-to-head with No. 7 Minnesota Duluth Feb. 2-3 in a series that could determine the regular season conference champion. In their final road series of the regular season, the Badgers look to improve upon their 13-game unbeaten streak as well as claim the WCHA crown.
For the 24-1-3 Badgers, it will take one win and a tie, or two wins to guarantee their second consecutive WCHA regular season title. Wisconsin has already clinched home ice for the first round of the WCHA playoffs, though the opponent has yet to be determined.
Women’s hockey fans can watch and listen to Saturday’s contest as Wisconsin and Minnesota Duluth will be featured as the USCHO Game of the Week. The audio and video feeds can be found by clicking here. (http://www.uscho.com/agate/item,WGOTW.html)
The last time the two foes met, each team walked away with a shutout victory. The Bulldogs won 2-0 on Nov. 24, issuing the UW its only loss of the season. The Badgers responded the next day with a 1-0 win.
Most recently, the UW has been relentless against its opponents, out-scoring them 39-2 in eight contests since Jan. 1. In addition, Wisconsin has shut out its opponent in six of its last seven games, including both games last weekend against Minnesota State.
Outstanding efforts by Wisconsin veteran Sara Bauer have continued to lead the Cardinal and White. Against MSU, Bauer recorded eight points, including five on Saturday, which tied her best-ever points-performance as a Badger and led to her second WCHA Offensive Player of the Week honor this season.
The 5’3” forward leads the nation in points with 52 (18 goals, 34 assists), which is 15 more than any other player in the WCHA. She stands just two points away from becoming the seventh player in NCAA history to reach 200 career points.
As a team, the UW boasts four of the top five point-scorers in the WCHA. Bauer (52 points), Meghan Duggan (37), Meaghan Mikkelson (35) and Jinelle Zaugg (35) all rank in the top five while Erika Lawler (29 points) is tied for ninth among league players.
In net for the Badgers, after making 20 saves on Jan. 27 to record her 16th career shutout, senior Christine Dufour tied the school record for career shutouts. Jessie Vetter also earned a shutout with 18 saves on Jan. 26 to notch her third consecutive shutout.
Holding a 16-7-3 overall record and 15-5-2 league record, the Bulldogs have rebounded from some early-season losses. In their last nine competitions, UMD is 7-0-2. They most recently took three points from Ohio State after beating them 5-3 Friday and skating to a 1-1 tie Saturday.
Minnesota Duluth’s Noemie Marin and Jessica Koizumi lead the squad in points with 31 and 29, respectively. The two seniors have notched 15 goals apiece this season, with eight and seven, also respectively, scored on the power play.
Senior Riitta Schaublin and freshman Kim Martin share time between the posts for the Bulldogs. Schaublin owns a .925 save percentage and a 1.75 goals-against average. Martin holds a .948 save percentage and a 1.48 goals-against average.
The games are set to begin at 7:07 p.m. on Friday and Saturday at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center.
Wisconsin Athletic Communications Erin Starck
2/1/2007 8:54:12 AM
No comments:
Post a Comment