The Wisconsin women's hockey team celebrated victories past and present this weekend at the Kohl Center, recording back-to-back shutouts against Syracuse on alumni weekend.
After a 3-0 win on Friday, freshman forward Brooke Ammerman led the Badgers with four goals in an 8-0 victory Saturday.
Wisconsin (4-0-0) got on the board halfway through the first period Friday night. After a pile-up near the left faceoff circle, sophomore forward Mallory Deluce snagged a pass from junior forward Meghan Duggan and fired a wrist shot inside the right post, giving the Badgers a 1-0 lead.
Syracuse (0-3-0) managed to stay competitive for most of the game thanks to stellar goaltending from Lucy Schoedel. Before transferring to Syracuse, Schoedel was a backup at New Hampshire, where she compiled a 1.04 goals-against average and a save percentage of .925 in two years with the Wildcats.
In our sport, sometimes the goaltender and the team you're playing against make it difficult to score,"" Wisconsin head coach Mark Johnson said. ""It's a tough task on some evenings, and the big thing is not to get frustrated.""
With the score still 1-0 halfway through the third period, Ammerman gave Wisconsin some breathing room. After a shot from junior forward Jasmine Giles, Ammerman collected the rebound and shelved the puck over Schoedel's left shoulder.
""We had a lot of chances, but the goalie was really good tonight,"" Ammerman said. ""It was nice to get one in, to relax a little bit.""
Duggan added an insurance goal less than three minutes later, ringing the puck off both posts and the crossbar to put the Badgers up 3-0.
Despite a bit of late action, senior goaltender Jessie Vetter was able to hold on for the shutout, the 27th of her career.
On Saturday, Ammerman put Wisconsin in front early, scoring 20 seconds into the first period. Junior forward Kyla Sanders circled behind the Syracuse goal and sent a centering pass into the slot. The puck found Ammerman's stick and then the back of the net, giving the Badgers a 1-0 lead.
Wisconsin scored again less than a minute later on a power-play goal from sophomore forward Kelly Nash. Filling in for injured sophomore forward Hilary Knight, Nash fired a shot from the left corner, banking the puck off Schoedel's pads for the 2-0 advantage. Ammerman added another power-play goal to close out the first period scoring.
""There's a lot of pressure once you get moved up to the [first] line,"" Nash said. ""I just focus on having fun.""
Nash and Ammerman traded goals throughout the second period. Cutting across the slot to the left of the crease, the New Jersey native took a feed from Nash for her third goal of the game. The Californian responded with another power-play goal midway through the period, and Ammerman made it 6-0 at the end of the second, sneaking one inside the right post.
With the game in hand, both coaches gave their starting goaltenders the third period off. UW junior Alannah McCready made four stops to preserve the Badger shutout. Junior forward Jasmine Giles and senior forward Erika Lawler each recorded their first goals of the season, giving Wisconsin an 8-0 win.
The Badgers look to continue their high-scoring ways when they open league play next weekend at Ohio State. The puck drops at 6:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
