MINNEAPOLIS—Eight games into the season, the Wisconsin women's hockey team had faced little adversity. Sure, there were tough games against top-10 teams like Ohio State, and some goaltenders had good nights, but unlike the rest of the WCHA they had yet to experience their first loss.
That changed Friday night as the Badger defense and goaltending faltered in a 7-5 loss to No. 8 Minnesota at Ridder Arena. But Wisconsin was quick to atone for those mistakes the next day, stifling the Gopher offense on its way to a 5-0 win, salvaging a split and getting the team back on track heading into a bye week.
""We can't give up seven goals if we're going to give ourselves a chance to win,"" head coach Mark Johnson said Friday.
The Badger defense seemed overmatched in the series opener, often losing battles to loose pucks, and as a result giving up a season-high seven goals.
""They were skating us really hard, they were beating us on the bluelines,"" sophomore defenseman Saige Pacholok said.
Wisconsin's goaltending was just as shaky in its first road game of the season, allowing those seven goals on 22 Gopher shots.
Freshman goaltender Alex Rigsby started Friday, but after a first period in which she struggled to control and see shots and let in three goals, Johnson replaced her with sophomore Becca Ruegsegger. Ruegsegger had trouble as well, allowing the next four Minnesota tallies.
The Badger offense tried to keep the team in Friday's game throughout the second period, but whenever Wisconsin scored the Gophers stopped their momentum with another goal.
""Every time we got ourselves within a distance to make a game of it, they responded with goals,"" Johnson said. ""As much energy as we expended, when those goals happen it takes a little bit of life out of the sail.""
After her bad start Friday, Johnson said he spent part of Saturday morning's practice working one-on-one with Rigsby, shooting at her to help Rigsby see the puck better and be calmer the next time she stepped on the ice. The result was her second shutout of the season, in which she looked much more at home in her net.
""You don't know how a freshman is going to react in a hostile environment against Minnesota,"" he said. ""The next time she's in a similar situation she's certainly going to be more comfortable, as she was today.""
""I felt a lot different today,"" Rigsby said Saturday. ""I figured the worst was out of the way and I was a lot more calm and relaxed.""
One constant through both games was the Badger offense, which put up ten goals over the course of the series against sophomore Minnesota goaltender Noora Raty, who had allowed just three in her previous five starts. Raty faced pressure from the Badger forwards all weekend, and was clearly frustrated by the end of the series.
Junior forward Hilary Knight scored three goals in the series, including two Saturday afternoon from seemingly impossible angles to beat Raty on the near post.
""I saw she wasn't on the post and just shot it right there,"" Knight said. ""I think she was anticipating a pass across so I got lucky on that one.""
