As the final buzzer sounded, and the players rushed the ice in hysteric celebration the University of Wisconsin achieved something unprecedented. The UW women's hockey team was crowned national champion Sunday afternoon at Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis. With sophomore Jinelle Zaugg's two goals, and another insurance goal netted by senior Grace Hutchins, the Badgers (36-4-1) were able to defeat the two-time defending national champion Minnesota Gophers (29-11-1) 3-0.
Coming into Sunday's match-up, UW had beaten the Gophers four out of the five meetings this season. The game started off well for the Badgers when sophomore forward Jinelle Zaugg knocked in her first of two goals after shooting a loose puck past Gopher goalie Brittony Chartier. The goal was assisted by Bobbi-Jo Slusar and Cyndy Kenyon. A mere 30 seconds after the Badgers took the 1-0 lead, Grace Hutchins redirected a Nikki Burish shot, which found its way to the back of the net extending the Badger lead to two goals. As the game proceeded, the Badgers found themselves having success on the power play for the second time. Jinelle Zaugg received a pass from Sara Bauer and ripped the one-timer past Chartier to add another insurance goal. On Saturday, Bauer was named the winner of the Patty Kazmaier award as the nation's top player and helped Zaugg become just the fourth player to score more than one goal in a women's NCAA hockey championship game.
Maybe the most impressive performance of the championship showdown, was the play of freshman goalkeeper Jessie Vetter. Vetter became the first goalie ever to record a shut-out in a women's frozen four game and closed out the season with a 201-minute and four second shut-out streak. Throughout the entire tournament she allowed only one goal—that coming in a double overtime win over Mercyhurst last weekend, Vetter would be named the tournaments Most Outstanding Player. After each team recorded 10 shots in the first period, the Gophers took charge of shot attempts. The Gophers out shot the Badgers 21-9 in the next two periods, including a 14-4 advantage in the third period. However, with Vetter in the net, the Gophers were unable to put a mark on the scoreboard, and found themselves giving up three goals, allowing the Badgers to claim the title.
Along with winning a national title, the Badger women also set a school record with 36 wins, and tied the school record closing out the season on a 12 game winning streak. The 3-0 shutout victory over rival Minnesota marked only the third women's team title for UW, and the first since the women's cross country team won back-to-back titles in 1984 and 1985.
