This weekend the No. 1 ranked Wisconsin women's hockey team (18-1-1 WCHA, 23-2-1 overall) will head to Minnesota to face the St. Cloud State Huskies (9-10-1, 12-13-1).
Do not be fooled by the Huskies record, though. This past weekend, the SCSU women beat No. 3 Minnesota-Duluth, twice. It was the first time in school history that the women swept both a ranked team and the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs. The weekend before that, SCSU also swept North Dakota, another big upset.
At SCSU, Wisconsin must come out strong because the Huskies are ready to attack and add another team to the list of recent upsets.
The Badgers are well aware of the Huskies momentum coming into this weekend's road trip.
'I'm sure they've got a bit of confidence and are eager to challenge us, so it'll be a good test for our hockey club, to see how we respond,' said head coach Mark Johnson.
Junior forward Sara Bauer is also aware of the threat that the Huskies' confidence can bring.
'St. Cloud's on a roll, so we need to be ready,' Bauer said. 'They'll be feeling pretty good and we need to make sure we're sharp.'
Although the Huskies have had many successes recently, the Badgers will challenge them.
After sweeping Bemidji State this past weekend, Wisconsin has piled up a 12-game unbeaten streak they hope to continue this weekend.
Aside from that, the Badgers are the No. 1 ranked team in the country and have shown great teamwork, which and their record proves just that. Also, the Badgers are undefeated on the road, an impressive feat for the club.
If the Badgers can sweep SCSU, head coach Mark Johnson will notch his 100th win in his career at UW and overall. Yet, Johnson has played down the accomplishment.
'I haven't thought about it,' Johnson said. 'It's a minute detail. If you're here long enough, it'll happen.'
It will be hard for UW to focus on this weekend contest when afterward Wisconsin faces long-time rival Minnesota at home. Johnson noted the difficulty that awaits the Badgers
'The next four games are gonna be a real challenge for us and it's a good chance to be challenged,' Johnson said.
The Huskies should also fear the nation's leader in points, Bauer. So far this season, she has amounted a personal best of 42 points. With 130 career points, Bauer moved to third place on UW's all-time list. Continuing at this pace, there is a real possibility that Bauer can become the all-time leading scorer.
On the Huskies side, senior forward Kristy Oonincx will be a threat to the Badgers. She has similar numbers as Bauer and fills a similar role for the Huskies.
Throughout the season, the Badgers have shown strong play in and out of the conference. And although the Huskies are coming off of two huge upsets, the Badgers are an imminent threat and a team that seems unbeatable.
To make sure that the Badgers come out with a win, coach Johnson said that the team needs to 'focus on what we do well and have a game plan.'
