The Wisconsin women's hockey team showed it has a lot to be thankful for after a sweep of Minnesota State over the weekend.
After senior goaltender Jessie Vetter recorded the 32nd shutout of her career in an 8-0 win Friday afternoon, the Badgers returned to the ice with a 7-2 victory on Sunday.
Wisconsin started the series conservatively as sophomore forward Hilary Knight netted the only goal of Friday's first period. As both skaters entered the offensive zone on a breakaway, freshman forward Carolyne Prevost put a cross-ice pass on Knight's stick, giving the Badgers a 1-0 lead.
Wisconsin put the game out of reach soon after the first intermission, scoring six goals in a dominant second-period effort. Sophomore forward Mallory Deluce was first to light the lamp just over three minutes in, and senior forward Erika Lawler followed suit 11 seconds later on a breakaway from the faceoff circle.
Knight added another in the second, as did freshman forward Brooke Ammerman and senior forward Angie Keseley. Lawler put in her second goal of the night with just over a minute left in the second frame, propelling the Badgers to a 7-0 advantage.
We skated the turkey out of us,"" head coach Mark Johnson said. ""We talked after the first period about getting the puck into the scoring area [and] trying to create opportunities. The end result is, we scored some goals.""
Keseley's second goal of the afternoon closed out the scoring late in the third period. Off a centering pass from Lawler, the Minnesota native snuck the puck past Maverick goalie Alli Altmann to finalize the 8-0 win.
Wisconsin's start in the second game of the series was anything but slow. After freshman defender Brittany Haverstock was sent to the box for a holding penalty, junior forward Jasmine Giles forced a turnover in the neutral zone and sent the puck in the direction of junior forward Kyla Sanders. Sanders flew toward the red line and tucked a shot into the far side of the net, putting the Badgers ahead 1-0.
""I was just giving [Sanders the puck] so she could cycle it back into the corner,"" Giles said. ""She just made an amazing shot.""
After another goal from Keseley and a pair from Ammerman, Wisconsin took a 4-0 lead into the first intermission.
Minnesota State finally got on the board near the end of the second period, but not before shots from Sanders and junior forward Meghan Duggan found the net, giving the UW a 6-1 advantage after two.
Junior goaltender Alannah McCready replaced Jessie Vetter for the final 20 minutes and, after giving up an early goal, made 13 saves to secure the win for her teammate. Although the Badgers added one more goal en route to a 7-2 win, the team realized it might have relaxed too much in the third period.
""Toward the end of the third period, we let down a little bit,"" Sanders said. ""We just need to keep our game on and keep competing and battling.""
The battle continues for Wisconsin as it plays host to the St. Cloud State Huskies next weekend at the Kohl Center. Faceoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
