The Wisconsin women's hockey program may embark on a historic first this Sunday. While the Badgers' bid to the NCAA women's hockey tournament is not official, Wisconsin (20-7-1 Western Collegiate Hockey Association, 28-8-1 overall) sits in solid position for Sunday's selection show.
Falling just short of a bid last year, No. 2 Wisconsin has played some of their best hockey down the stretch which should guarantee them a bid. Team captain and senior defender Carla MacLeod is excited for Sunday's drama.
\I've been here four years, and we've been so close so many of those years,"" MacLeod said. ""It's nice to be in contention, and hopefully we'll get that bid.""
The women's tournament expanded from four teams to eight this year, a change from the previous four years. Wisconsin was ranked No. 5 in the country last year, narrowly missing out on a tournament berth.
The Badgers' run in the WCHA tournament-they lost to No. 1 Minnesota (25-1-2 WCHA, 33-2-2 overall) in an overtime thriller-will certainly boost their tournament resume. Head coach Mark Johnson certainly was not pleased with the loss, but he stressed the importance of confidence heading into the tournament.
""It's never good to lose,"" Johnson said. ""The big thing is that they should be confident coming in to the tournament. Now they've experienced both ends of the spectrum. On Saturday, they got the opportunity to score a goal in overtime and then on Sunday, you've got the reverse psychology, where all of a sudden you lose in overtime.""
Wisconsin failed to beat Minnesota this year, but did earn a tie during the Dec. 5 series in Madison. But more telling is the fact that the Badgers lost their last two games to the Gophers by one goal each. The winning goal in the WCHA championship came when Minnesota had a five-on-three advantage to start overtime. MacLeod believes Wisconsin's play sent a message to the other top teams in the country.
""I think we proved to ourselves and those watching that we are a team that the Gophers and other teams will have to worry about [in the tournament],"" she said.
Wisconsin has a shot at hosting the regional round (March 18-20) and a home series would be sweet vindication for a team featuring numerous upperclassmen eager to continue a sweet season on their home ice. But the berth itself-moreso than the hosting-means more that UW is a growing young power in the world of women's hockey.
""It obviously means a great deal, especially for the upperclassmen,"" Johnson said. ""Our seniors have been close three years in a row. It's disappointing when they make the announcement and you don't hear your name called and at that point your season is over. This Sunday they're going to be able to watch and their team is going to be put in a bracket and be playing against an opponent in the following weekend. They've got to be excited, I'm certainly excited, and any time you do it for the first time it's certainly special.""
Either way for the Badgers, the anticipation grows each day as the team moves closer to a tournament appearance and potential shot at a national championship.
""I think at this point, we're just excited to play,"" MacLeod said. ""We're not sure about who we're playing or where we're playing, we just want to play and be given the opportunity, and then we can control it.""
""There will be one team in two weeks that will be really happy and the other seven teams will be really disappointed,"" Johnson said.
