The sixth-ranked Wisconsin women's hockey team skates over to Ohio State this weekend to battle the 10th-ranked Buckeyes in a huge early season conference showdown.
The Badgers (2-0 Western Collegiate Hockey Association, 3-0-1 overall) are coming off last weekend's split with Connecticut. After a dominating victory Saturday, the Badger squad is looking to get back to their strong form after a tie Sunday.
Coming into this season ranked fourth in the nation, expectations were sky high for this young team. So far, things have been going very well. The most impressive and noticeable catalyst for the success of the hockey team, thus far, can be attributed to the great chemistry and hard work ethic of its members.
UW Assistant Coach Dan Koch attributes this success and the national recognition to the pressure the girls carry on their shoulder pads.
\We, the coaches, expect a lot from our team and they expect a lot from themselves,"" Koch said. ""So, they have put themselves on a higher tier to reach these higher expectations and they are highly motivated by that to do well.""
""As a whole, the team has really gelled,"" junior forward Kendra Antony said. ""With all our depth and different lines, things are just clicking and coming together.""
Antony, named the WCHA's Player of the Week for her superb play against St. Cloud State the first weekend, loves the maturity and excitement of the younger players.
""It's great to see how excited the freshmen have been, getting into the game and making contributions,"" Antony said. ""They knew they would have to step it up, and they have done that. Just how excited and energetic they have been on the ice has been great for this team.""
The Badgers have been playing with a very strong attack, led by Antony and sophomore forward Meghan Hunter, with a team average of five goals per game.
This offensive output has been matched by the mastery of junior goaltender Jackie MacMillan, with a .94 average of goals allowed per game.
In addition to the conference-leading 33 assists, the Badgers are looking to fair well against the conference.
With four of the top 10 teams coming from the WCHA, the competition is sure to be challenging.
The Badgers will definitely be tested with four conference opponents before Thanksgiving.
Koch, however, made it clear that Ohio State will not be overlooked.
""We know they are going to be ready,"" Koch said. ""We understand our system and theirs. Ohio State is very similar to us defensively, so it is just a matter of us going out there and executing offensively.""
MacMillan knows this weekend is going to be a battle will demand a great deal of hard work and heart from the Badgers team.
""I think that what we have to do is concentrate on our abilities and not worry about anything outside of us and just work 110 percent,"" MacMillan said. ""If we work our hardest and just execute, we'll have a good weekend.\
