The No. 1 Wisconsin Women's Hockey team travels to Fort Myers, Fla., this weekend to take on No. 3 New Hampshire.
The teams have had seven all-time meetings, and the Badgers have never beaten the Wildcats. Last year the Wildcats swept the series with the Badgers with a 2-1 score both games.
Senior goalie Jessie Vetter said the Badgers are looking to end that streak this weekend.
So, definitely a little revenge maybe, this weekend, but we're just going down there to have a good time in Florida and play a good team and hopefully have some fun games,"" she said.
Sophomore forward Hilary Knight said last year was difficult but Wisconsin has put the games behind them and is looking forward to competing against a top team.
""We're a good team,"" she said. ""I guess we're No. 1 right now, and if we keep on working hard and playing well hopefully, we'll come out with a victory,"" she said.
Vetter said the most important thing the Badgers must do against UNH is play a
full 60 minutes of hockey.
""You can tell when we don't play good hockey for 60 minutes, but when we do we're a pretty good team and we've got great depth and everyone does a good job on the ice when they're out there,"" she said.
Assistant coach Dan Koch said the Badgers must be disciplined and stop UNH's power play if they want to have success in Florida.
""They have a very good power play, so we end up having to take three or four penalties, we can kill them off,"" he said. ""But if we take five, six, seven, then that could be some trouble for us.""
He said one thing that makes the Wildcats so good on the power play is their forwards. Forward Jen Wakefield has scored in past eight games for UNH, and Angela Taylor has tallied an assist in the past six games.
Vetter praised Wakefield as well, and said she is a ""strong player with a good shot.""
""You've just got to be aware of when she's out there, because she definitely makes stuff happen,"" she said. ""She's got a quick release so she can shoot at any point in time.""
Koch said the Badgers have not focused on New Hampshire this week in practice but instead have worked on improving their own game. He said Wisconsin will come up with a penalty kill for New Hampshire, but for the most part focus during practice is on the Badger's passing and ability to score goals.
""You can't worry too much about what the other team does,"" he said. ""It's about what you can do to help your team get better.""
Faceoff is at 6 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday. After Thanksgiving break, the Badgers will return home to face Minnesota State next weekend.
