History is being made by the women's hockey team, but the students are not there to witness it. The team set an NCAA record for consecutive games unbeaten this past weekend at 32, and looks to have the personnel to potentially three-peat as national champions.
For two straight seasons, I have announced the women's team for uwbadgers.com and covered them for The Daily Cardinal. I have witnessed as dominant and enjoyable of a team as there is to watch.
At women's hockey games, fans have the opportunity to watch a team that has not lost a game since Nov. 24, 2006. They can see junior goaltender Jessie Vetter continue her run as one of the top goaltenders in women's college hockey. They can also watch head coach Mark Johnson, a legend in Wisconsin and throughout the country for his 1980 Olympic heroics, guide his Badgers through the trenches of WCHA play.
No one can make the excuse that the sport is not exciting enough. The women's program has delivered its share of intense moments over the past two seasons.
Flashback to March 2007: Wisconsin hosts Harvard in the NCAA Quarterfinals at the Kohl Center. The Badgers and Crimson are scoreless in regulation. Vetter makes save after save to keep the season alive. Four overtimes and 127 minutes into the game, then-senior forward Sara Bauer is in the offensive zone, patiently skating with the puck. Then-junior winger Jinelle Zaugg slides into the low circle, Bauer sees her, and Zaugg sends Wisconsin to the Frozen Four. That game showed the crowd of 5,125 that women's hockey has the same nervous moments and reward as the men's game.
It's great for women's hockey. We had a nice crowd here tonight. They were very entertained. Obviously, the party went a little longer than we thought it was going to go, but we're really excited,"" Johnson said after the game.
""If you're not convinced it's a great product after a game like tonight, then we've got some trouble because anyone in the building tonight should be convinced that women's hockey is tremendous,"" Harvard head coach Katey Stone said.
""Being in this atmosphere, with so many crazy Badger fans out there and even if they're cheering against us, it's an incredible atmosphere,"" graduating Harvard forward and Patty Kazmaier winner Julie Chu said, moments after her final collegiate game.
The program offers as intelligent of a coach as exists in the sport of hockey. While establishing Wisconsin as the nation's powerhouse, Johnson has managed two goaltender controversies to perfection.
In spring of 2006, it seemed Meghan Horras would get the nod in the NCAA tournament. The senior had a 1.54 GAA and was playing well down the stretch. However, Johnson chose to go with the redshirt freshman in Vetter, who had just 10 career starts heading into the tournament. Horras' career was over, and Vetter's was just beginning. The freshman held her ground in the first round of the tournament, leading Wisconsin to a 2-1 double-overtime win against Mercyhurst. In the Frozen Four, she had two shutouts and Wisconsin won its first NCAA Championship.
A year later, Johnson once again decided to end a senior goaltender's career at the front door of the tournament. This time it was Christine Dufour, sporting a 0.88 GAA and no losses all season, who Johnson benched for Vetter, favoring her playoff experience. The sophomore made 36 saves against Harvard, then stopped 39 shots in two Frozen Four games for a second-straight national title.
Next weekend, stop by the Kohl Center and give the women's hockey team its chance. Hockey fans are hands down the best and most loyal supporters of any Badger sport. The women's team has proven they can do the work on the ice, and now we need to do the work in the stands.
Let Eric know about your experience at a women's hockey game by e-mailing him at elevine@wisc.edu.
