In the midst of receiving a number of individual accolades, the No. 2 UW women's hockey team is focusing on achieving its ultimate team goal since the beginning of the season: the program's first ever Frozen Four.
One might think the pressure is on the Badgers, due to their lofty team goals and being the pre-season No. 1 ranked team in the nation by USCHO.com. However, the players were relaxed and loose in practice Tuesday, as if it were any other practice during the season. Head coach Mark Johnson doesn't want his team's mood to be any different.
You don't change anything [in practice],\ Johnson said. ""Yesterday and today were no different than from what we did in October. It comes down to execution [in the games].""
Junior defender Bobbi-Jo Slusar added that the team really isn't a favorite going into the Frozen Four, which may help to relieve some of the pressure that may come about from such an important game.
""We're just sticking together here,"" Slusar said. ""We're going into the Frozen Four, we've never been there before. Pressure-wise, I think we're the underdogs, with this being our first experience there. We're having fun, we're working hard, we don't really have any expectations going into it. We're just going to do our best.""
The Badgers' team achievements have brought a new-found excitement and have garnered a large amount of positive attention toward the program. Their appearance in the Frozen Four has spiked local and national attention on the program. UW's first game will be televised nationally on College Sports Television at 4 p.m. on Friday. The exposure excites both the players and Johnson, and the head coach hopes that this will attract local fans to the Kohl Center when the team is playing at home in the future.
""I've seen growth every year on our side,"" Johnson said. ""We've done things this year that we didn't do last year. It's building ... we'll just keep doing the things we're doing. If we do that, the support will continue to
improve, as it has in the past three or four years.""
Johnson also noted an increase in tournament buzz when the bracket was expanded from four teams to eight teams prior to the 2004-'05 season. Because college women's hockey programs continue to spring up across the country, more teams will get the opportunity to show their stuff on a national stage.
The experience of the Frozen Four will undoubtedly rank highly in all of the players' career achievements. For the Badgers' five seniors, this success is the perfect culmination of four years of hard work.
""It means a lot,"" senior captain Sharon Cole said. ""This is our last chance to do what we can as a team.""
Three Badgers earn top honors
Three UW players have been recognized for their achievements this season by the United States College Hockey Online.
Leading scorer Sara Bauer was given both Player of the Year and first team accolades. In addition, Bauer is one of three finalists to receive the Patty Kazeimer national award, given to the nation's top player.
Junior Bobbi-Jo Slusar was given Defender of the Year and first team honors. Slusar joins Carla MacLeod as the only Badgers to receive this honor.
Assistant captain Nikki Burish received the Unsung Hero Award. The senior forward is currently seventh on UW's all-time scoring list.
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