The Ohio State Buckeyes women's hockey team came to Madison this weekend with a chance to improve their bid for a home series in the first round of the WCHA tournament. However, they ran into a streaking Wisconsin club and a 200-point scorer in senior forward Sara Bauer, who helped the Badgers sweep the Buckeyes 5-2 and 3-2 and improve to 27-1-4 on the season.
Captain Bobbi-Jo Slusar and assistant captain Bauer highlighted their senior day on Sunday with a pair of goals and senior goalie Christine Dufour extended her unbeaten streak to 23 games dating back to last season.
""[Dufour] has been awesome. Obviously there is leadership there. I think she's done a great job in net and she's played strong,"" the defenseman Slusar said.
Freshman forward Meghan Duggan scored first for the Badgers on Sunday, beating Buckeye senior goalie Erika Vanderveer to give Wisconsin a 1-0 lead.
Two minutes later, Slusar found the back of the net on a slap shot from the point to add to the Badger lead.
In the second period, Bauer nailed home a centering pass from junior forward Jinelle Zaugg, which would prove to be the game-winning goal.
Ohio State rallied back in the third period with goals from junior defenseman Tessa Bonhomme and junior forward Erin Keys, pulling within a goal of the Badgers.
Dufour and the Badger defense prevented the Buckeyes from threatening late and Wisconsin held on for the win.
""We did what we needed to do to finish it off and that's a good sign,"" head coach Mark Johnson said.
""In the third period we might have let our guard down for a second and they got a couple of quick power play goals. I think we finished out strong and fought to the end and it was good for us to keep the lead,"" Duggan said.
Friday, Wisconsin rallied down from 2-0 and scored five unanswered goals as they defeated Ohio State.
Bauer started Wisconsin's scoring late in the first period on a shorthanded breakaway goal to cut the deficit in half.
In the second period, Bauer tied the game as she knocked in her own rebound for her 200th career point, becoming the seventh NCAA women's player to accomplish that feat.
""I think especially at this point in the season the team is the biggest [concern],"" Bauer said, trying to spin the focus away from her achievement.
Sophomore forward Angie Keseley scored the go-ahead goal for Wisconsin in the third period, and later the Badgers added two more to seal the victory.
In goal, sophomore Jessie Vetter made 21 saves, improving her record to 14-1-3.
Wisconsin hosts Bemidji State in the season finale this weekend.
