Wisconsin women's hockey head coach Mark Johnson discussed the play of Junior Erika Lawler and the upcoming Western Collegiate Hockey Association Final Faceoff when he addressed the media Monday.
The Badger's next game will be a conference tournament semifinal Saturday against Minnesota. If they win, the Badgers will play the winner of the other semifinal which pits St. Cloud State against the host team, Minnesota-Duluth.
[The WCHA Final Faceoff] has been at Ridder since I've been around, and so this year Duluth wanted to take a run at it."" Johnson said. ""They felt they were going to have strong attendance at this weekend's games and we'll take it from there.""
The last Final Faceoff held outside of Minneapolis was in 2003 in North Dakota.
Johnson praised Lawler's competitiveness and the energy she brings to the ice. She has a team-high 26 assists on the season and has scored four game-winning goals.
""When you watch us play, she'll be the first person you notice,"" Johnson said. ""She's 5-foot-nothing, but yet she's got a gigantic heart, [is] very competitive and likes to win.""
He even said he used her as a role model for his own daughter in her hockey career.
""It's funny, when I go to my daughter's games, I always sort of use the phrase, 'now go play like Erika, be Erika Lawler out there,' just because she's tenacious,"" Johnson said. ""From a coaching standpoint, when you can put her on the ice, whether it be a power play, killing a penalty, trying to win a faceoff at the end of a period, she does a lot of things that as a coach you're very proud of.""
Lawler's small stature was later brought up, but Johnson said that her fearlessness and willingness to battle bigger players in the corners is what sets her apart on the ice.
""The first thing you'll notice is she's not very big,"" Johnson said. ""But in our sport, where checking isn't allowed, it gives that player that's got a skill level like she has ... quickness, great speed, lots of energy ... an opportunity to shine in our game.""
Sophomore forward Meghan Duggan's shift from wing to center might become permanent according to Johnson. The move resulted from an injury on her line but the coach felt that ""it opened up a whole new avenue for her.""
Johnson also dispelled the notion that his squad is thinking about having a target on their backs, instead insisting that they are focusing solely on Minnesota.
""The scenario right now for us is you get one game, and that's Saturday afternoon against Minnesota,"" Johnson said.
""If you win that game, you get an opportunity to play for the playoff championship on Sunday. If you don't, you're back on the bus coming back to Madison ... whether we're hunted or hunter or whatever you want to call it, I just look at it as one game, a great opportunity, a lot of fun. You throw everything but the kitchen sink into the game Saturday and hope you're victorious.
