The Wisconsin women's hockey team could only manage a split against the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs over the weekend. The Badgers ended UMD's 16-game winning streak on Friday only to have the favor returned when their 11-game tear was halted the following night.
UW remains eight points behind Duluth in the standings with four games left. This all but ends Wisconsin's shot at a third consecutive WCHA regular season title.
Friday's game was close throughout, with momentum swinging back and forth. Junior forward Kyla Sanders got UW on the board first by putting back a blocked shot two minutes into the game.
Bulldog freshman forward Laura Fridfinnson tied the game halfway through the second period when she shot the puck through traffic and past Wisconsin junior goalie Jessie Vetter. Sophomore forward Meghan Duggan's 12th goal of the season put Wisconsin back in front late in the second frame. The score came off a breakout pass from junior forward Tia Hanson.
However, Duluth struck back as sophomore forward Emmanuelle Blais scored. Junior wing Kayla Hagen untied it yet again when she redirected a Hanson pass on a 2-on-1 that got past Duluth sophomore netminder Kim Martin. The goal was Hagen's first since Oct. 13.
Wisconsin got another chance for a goal when Duggan was tripped during a breakaway and given a penalty shot. Martin rejected the shot, setting up a tense finish.
In the game's final three minutes, the Badgers committed two penalties, one for interference and one for too many players on the ice. This meant UW played down a player for most of those three minutes and were down two skaters once the goalie was pulled. They, however, held off Duluth and escaped with the 3-2 victory.
Overall, Wisconsin was called for nine penalties, almost double their season average.
The script was reversed on Saturday as Fridfinnson scored the first goal for Duluth. Duggan tied the game when she redirected a shot from junior forward Angie Keseley on a power play early in the second period.
Bulldog freshman forward Haley Irwin put her team up for good late in the second stanza and Heidi Pelttari scored from the point on a third-period power play to give her team an insurance goal.
They would need it when Duggan scored her second goal of the day with under three minutes to go in the game. The Badgers, however, could only muster one shot after that and lost 3-2.
The series highlighted the matchup between two of the WCHA's best goaltenders in Martin and Vetter. They rank No. 1 and No. 2 in the conference in both goals against allowed and save percentage.
The rivalry between these two teams has often been intense, and the games they play are usually important. Last season, Wisconsin took the series 2-1-1, escaping with 1-0 and 2-1 wins, the second in overtime.
The loss was Wisconsin's only one of the season, but the Badgers avenged that setback when they beat the Bulldogs 4-1 in the national championship game.
Wisconsin will next play against Bemidji State at the Kohl Center Friday and in the Eagle's Nest in Verona on Saturday.