The UW women's hockey team has never had trouble putting the puck in the net. Over the past couple of weekends, however, more and more of the offensive firepower is coming from an unusual place - the blue line.
Defensively, the Badger blueliners are the best in the country. Wisconsin (16-1-3 WCHA, 22-1-3 overall) surrenders a stingy 1.31 goals per game, top in the nation. The team's top defensive pair, senior Alycia Matthews and sophomore Malee Windmeier, has a combined plus-minus of plus-48 on the season, while no defender on the team has lower than a plus-15.
However, last weekend against St. Cloud State, the UW defenders stood out for their contributions on the offensive end. In a series that featured goals from both sophomore defender Anne Dronen and senior defender Rachel Bible, senior Angie Keseley saw her first action of the year on the blue line. Leaving the comfort of the left wing, Keseley tallied five points in two games against the Huskies, earning WCHA Defensive Player of the Week honors.
It was fun,"" Keseley said. ""I talked to the [other defenders, and] they gave me some good advice. They helped me out throughout the week, and they're still helping me out '¦ giving me encouragement.""
Keseley is the second Badger in as many weeks to win defensive honors from the WCHA. Sophomore defender Olivia Jakiel took the award for the week of Jan. 21 after recording a pair of assists in Wisconsin's sweep of North Dakota.
Wisconsin senior goaltender Jessie Vetter was excited to see hard work pay off for the teammates who have been so vital to her success this season.
""It's definitely very rewarding,"" Vetter said. ""Obviously, their first job is to keep the puck out of the net and help me do that, but when they are able to do something on the offensive end, it's just a big bonus for us.""
Wisconsin's defense will be tested this weekend when the Badgers face the Ohio State Buckeyes. OSU (4-14-2 WCHA, 6-17-3 overall) is struggling mightily this season and has not won a game in regulation since beating Minnesota State 6-5 on Dec. 12. Nevertheless, the Buckeyes' quickness and physicality will keep the Badgers on their toes.
""They are a quick team,"" Dronen said. ""We have an advantage because we'll be on a bigger ice sheet, [but] they have a lot of good shooters and they are good at playing around the perimeter.""
With the WCHA regular season title potentially on the line in Minneapolis next weekend, Dronen and the Badgers know that every game counts.
""It's coming down to crunch time,"" Dronen said. ""We just have to make sure that these last couple games here are our best and put our best foot forward.""
Faceoff between the Badgers and Buckeyes is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday and noon Sunday at the Kohl Center.
