After a pair of strong wins over Ohio State, the top-ranked Wisconsin women's hockey team will travel to Minnesota for a pair of games against the No. 2 Golden Gophers that will decide the regular-season WCHA championship.
The two teams are tied atop the conference standings with 40 points apiece, adding even more importance to the already infamous Wisconsin-Minnesota rivalry. UW head coach Mark Johnson reflected on his time playing against the Gophers and how he feels about the matchup now that he is a coach.
As a player, you just get real excited for these [kinds] of weekends,"" Johnson said. ""As coaches, we get excited too.""
When the Badgers last faced the Gophers at the Kohl Center in October, Wisconsin came away from the series with a 1-1 tie and a 2-1 win. Games with such low scoring have been rare for the Badgers this season, as they average more than five goals per game.
For many Wisconsin players, the Minnesota series will be more of a homecoming than a road trip. Sophomore Malee Windmeier grew up in Champlin, Minn., just outside of Minneapolis, and says she is excited to play so close to home.
""It's a fun rivalry to go back and play the players that you've grown up playing,"" she said. ""It's a fun atmosphere to go back and play [in].""
Windmeier has been a part of the suffocating Wisconsin defense, which gives up just 1.21 goals per game on average and has helped senior goalie Jessie Vetter earn ten shutouts for the third consecutive season.
Johnson said the defense will play a big role in determining if the Badgers will have success in the series, especially against a Minnesota team that also averages better than five goals per game.
""We'll certainly get tested this weekend,"" he said. ""If we play well in our own end, Jessie [Vetter] plays well and our defensive core as a group plays well, then I like our chances.""
The Wisconsin defense is coming off of an impressive weekend against the Buckeyes, where the defense allowed 22 shots on goal in the two games combined, resulting in a pair of shutout wins.
Most impressive was the third period of Saturday's game against Ohio State, when the Badger defense allowed just one shot while the Wisconsin offense put up four goals in the period. Third period play has been key to the Badgers' success - Wisconsin has scored more goals in the third than any other period so far this season.
Johnson and many players attribute that strong play late in the game to the team's conditioning.
""To have that extra set of legs to beat the other team in the corner really helps during those 50-50 battles,"" Windmeier said.
With both the men's and women's Wisconsin hockey teams in town to face the Gophers, the Badgers are expecting an exciting atmosphere in the Ridder Arena.
""I'm sure there's going to be a lot of energy in the building, certainly Minnesota will come out and be very excited to play,"" Johnson said. ""We just have got to make sure we take care of ourselves, and when they drop the puck, be ready to go.""
Wisconsin and Minnesota will face off at 2 p.m. Feb. 7 and 8.
