The Wisconsin women's hockey team looks to win its third consecutive NCAA championship as it enters the 2007-'08 campaign.
One can only be positive about the upcoming Badger season. Wisconsin comes off a 36-1-4 season boasting a 26-game unbeaten streak and returns most of its starters from last season.
Along with that, 5,125 fans attended Wisconsin's four-overtime victory over Harvard in the NCAA quarterfinals at the Kohl Center in March. The crowd was the second largest to ever witness an NCAA women's hockey game, which happened to be the second longest NCAA women's hockey game ever played.
In the NCAA finals, Wisconsin knocked off WCHA rival Minnesota-Duluth 4-1 to capture its second straight Division I title.
Head coach Mark Johnson leads the Badgers into the 2007-'08 season with veteran talent and promising new skaters.
Junior goalie Jessie Vetter enters the season as the nation's top netminder. Vetter carried an NCAA Tournament shutout streak of 422 minutes and 36 seconds dating back to her freshman year which was snapped against UMD in the 2007 final. Expect her to see most of the playing time in goal with sophomore Alannah McCready seeing sporadic action as she adjusts to the collegiate level.
Senior forward Jinelle Zaugg led the Badgers in goals last season. Her biggest lamp-lighter came against Harvard in the NCAA quarterfinals when she scored 127 minutes and nine seconds into the game to send Wisconsin to the Frozen Four. Zaugg scored all three of Wisconsin's overtime goals last season.
Sophomore forward Meghan Duggan was named the WCHA Rookie of the Year last season. Duggan finished second on the Badgers with 52 points, the second most ever for a Badger rookie. She benefited much from skating with Zaugg and Sara Bauer, Wisconsin's legendary forward who led the Badgers in points last season before graduating.
On defense, the Badgers will look to senior Emily Morris and junior Alycia Matthews to continue the success Wisconsin has seen at points over the past few seasons. Neither has contributed consistently on offense because Bobbi-Jo Slusar and Meaghan Mikkelson were Wisconsin's primary defensive scoring threats. With their departures, expect Morris and Matthews to register in the top 10 in Badger points this year.
The Badgers welcome in three rookie offensive standouts, including U.S. Four Nations Cup team member Hilary Knight. Three freshmen defensemen begin their careers in the fall, including Anne Dronen, the captain of the Minnesota Thoroughbreds of the Midwest Elite AAA Hockey League. The Badgers will also see playing time from redshirt freshmen Ally Strickler and Maria Evans.
Although it loses its top scorer in Bauer and its defensive leaders in Slusar and Mikkelson, Wisconsin returns the bulk of its foundation that lost just one game last season. The Badgers are once again the team to beat in women's hockey.
