In a series that saw a pair of successful comebacks and the ejection of its captain, the Wisconsin women's hockey team avenged a loss in last year's national championship game, taking four points from Minnesota-Duluth this weekend.
After a 2-1 come-from-behind win Friday, the Badgers (6-0-2 WCHA, 10-0-2 overall) fought back to a 2-2 tie Saturday, despite the ejection of senior captain Erika Lawler.
The Bulldogs (2-4-2, 4-4-2) broke a scoreless tie 24 seconds into Friday's second period. Minnesota-Duluth's junior forward Saara Tuominen took a centering pass from junior forward Sara O'Toole and crashed the Wisconsin net, tipping the puck over the shoulder of UW senior goaltender Jessie Vetter.
The Badgers fired back a few minutes later. After shots from senior forward Angie Keseley and sophomore forward Hilary Knight, a rebound came out to the left of UMD junior goaltender Kim Martin and Lawler buried it in the open net.
It was kind of a scramble, and I was just in the right place at the right time,"" Lawler said. ""I was just hoping I wasn't going to hit any feet in front of the net before it went in.""
Four minutes later, Wisconsin converted on the power play for the only other goal it would need.
UW freshman forward Brooke Ammerman attempted a pass to sophomore forward Mallory Deluce, then skated into the slot. Falling to her knees, Ammerman backhanded the puck over Martin's shoulder, securing the 2-1 win for the Badgers.
""It was awesome after we got that first goal, and we just kept it coming,"" Ammerman said. ""That second one put them really back on their heels. We just took it to them from there.""
Saturday's first period proved nearly disastrous for Wisconsin. With Minnesota-Duluth already up 1-0, Lawler was ejected for a slew-footing call against Martin. As Martin moved to her left to steer the puck wide of the crease, the players' skates converged, sending Martin crashing to the ice. Lawler was assessed a five-minute major for the contact and a game misconduct.
Trailing 2-0 with less than seven minutes to go in the second period, the Badgers finally found the net. On a five-on-three advantage, senior defender Alycia Matthews fired a shot from the left point. The rebound found the stick of Angie Keseley, and Keseley found the net, cutting the deficit to 2-1 at the end of two.
Ammerman tied things up five minutes into the third period with a shot that rang off the near post. The game remained physical and fast-paced throughout the rest of regulation and the overtime period, but neither team was able to pull ahead.
""[Ammerman] adjusted nicely and had an impact on this weekend,"" head coach Mark Johnson said. ""That tells me that she's bringing her game up to where it needs to be.""
With the game recorded as a 2-2 tie, the Badgers and Bulldogs headed to a shootout. Sophomore forward Kelly Nash was up first for Wisconsin, and she scored the only goal the Badgers would need, sneaking a shot five-hole past Martin. The shootout win gives Wisconsin an extra point in the WCHA standings.
""I did that exact same thing on Vetter this week [in practice],"" Nash said. ""She [said] she hates it when I do that, so I just figured I'd do it again.""
The Badgers are off next weekend but return to action Nov. 15 and 16 at North Dakota.
