A day after the women's hockey team defeated Minnesota 3-0 to take home the national championship, much of the shock has still not worn off for the team members.
Athletic Director Barry Alvarez, Chancellor John Wiley and all the Badger coaches and players gathered at the Kohl Center Monday to celebrate the first national title in UW history.
I couldn't have asked for a better script, beating the two-time defending champions in their own backyard,\ head coach Mark Johnson said. ""It was awesome waking up this morning and reading the headline ‘It's a great day for hockey.'""
""[There's] no better way to end the season than with this,"" senior forward Nikki Burish said. ""I can't even explain, it's unbelievable, we've been working so hard all season just to accomplish this goal and now that it's happened it's a dream come true.""
Smiles could not be removed from the players' faces as Alvarez came up to the podium to celebrate their accomplishments amidst cheers of ‘We're number one.'
""They competed hard and they won with class—they won with dignity,"" Alvarez said.
Talking over a large amount of hardware amassed from the spectacular season, Johnson, one of very few people to win a championship as a player and a coach, spoke to the tenacity of the No. 1 team in the nation.
""It's a long journey, you hope you put the pieces together and end up where we are now,"" Johnson said. ""The team deserves all the credit.""
""It's a lot harder as a coach [than as a player],"" he added. Last up were the players, who let their awards do the talking. Burish, senior forward Sharon Cole, freshman goaltender Jessie Vetter, and junior forward Patty Kazmaier (most outstanding player in collegiate hockey) award winner Sara Bauer focused mainly on thanking their families and fans.
""I think it just shows how much women's hockey is growing and how good it is to all the fans out here,"" Burish said.
""We had so much support last weekend in Minnesota,"" Vetter said. ""We're just thankful that everyone came out to help us celebrate tonight.""
The pure weight of winning a title has not yet dawned on many of the players, especially the seniors who know they have played their last game as a Badger.
""I'm not going to notice until Tuesday comes around and I'm not going to be able to practice anymore,"" Burish said. ""It hasn't really sunk in yet.""
""It's been amazing, I loved coming to practice every day,"" Cole said.
Even though the season just ended, Vetter still looks forward to the potential of the next few seasons.
""We're not done yet; there's definitely more to come.""\
