The UW women's hockey team is set to host North Dakota in Verona as the 2007 postseason begins this weekend.
For much of the 2006-'07 campaign, the Badger women's hockey team (29-1-4) has relied on offense to pull away from its opponents early, with 14 of its 29 victories coming by four or more goals. As the program hosts North Dakota (3-29-2) this weekend in the first round of the WCHA playoffs, however, the Badgers can thank its defense and its two goaltenders for the team's dominance in the WCHA. As impressive as the team's 23-1-4 league record may be, Wisconsin is also 5-0 in one-goal games.
""We all know each other and we know how we play. We work really well together and I think that we have so much depth back there that if you throw anyone out there, they'll be able to handle it,"" senior defenseman and Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Top 10 finalist Meaghan Mikkelson said of the defense.
Mikkelson leads all Division I defensemen in points scored this season with 42, and her teammates recognize her improvement from last season as a catalyst of her rise to being one of the top players in women's hockey.
""She's really aggressive and takes her role really seriously, and coming in from last season she wanted to make her senior year the best year she has here,"" senior goalie Christine Dufour said.
Mikkelson plays on a defense that has allowed 18.6 shots per game this season and one goal per game. This has allowed the offense's 4.6 goals per game to be enough to garner victories.
""The defense has played great this year. If we get a shot and there's a rebound, then they clear it out for us,"" sophomore goalie Jessie Vetter said.
Complementing the defense are Vetter and Dufour, who make up the best goaltending tandem in the country. Dufour and Vetter are ranked one and two respectively in goals-against average nationwide. The two goalies each have six shutouts, and Dufour has played eleven fewer games than the nation's leader, senior Melissa Bourdon, who has eight goose eggs.
""This year we have two strong goalies and that's something that separates us from a lot of other teams. I think we have a lot of confidence in them and trust that they're going to do their jobs,"" senior captain and defenseman Bobbi-Jo Slusar said.
""They're both outstanding goalies. They're there to support us if we make a mistake and we're lucky to have two outstanding goalies behind us,"" a convinced Mikkelson said.
The defense and offense jelled in the four games they played against North Dakota this season, combining for a 25-2 overall score against the Fighting Sioux, a team that failed to win a game in the WCHA this season. However, the team refuses to be overconfident heading into the first round of the playoffs.
""Everyone knows that it's playoff time and any team can really win,"" Slusar said.
If it beats North Dakota in the best-of-three first round, Wisconsin heads to the WCHA Playoff Championship in Minneapolis next weekend.
