In theory the Wisconsin women's hockey team does not have much to play for this weekend, while its opponent, North Dakota, has a lot at stake in the series.
The top-ranked Badgers locked up the WCHA regular season title last weekend against Bemidji State, meanwhile North Dakota sits on the NCAA tournament bubble and will be fighting to keep its season going in the weeks ahead. Given that context, it seems one team might be more motivated than the other when they face off Friday night.
In reality, however, as Wisconsin enters its second to last series of the regular season the team is just as energized as it would be for any other. According to senior forward Meghan Duggan the Badgers were proud of taking the WCHA crown in Bemidji, but do not plan to dwell on that accomplishment.
""We kind of enjoy that for a little bit and move on,"" she said. ""We can't have any letdowns in the last four games of the regular season just because we clinched it.""
The Sioux are No. 8 in both the national poll and USCHO.com's predictor of the PairWise rankings, which determine tournament seeding. With eight teams advancing to the NCAA tournament and four games left in the regular season, North Dakota needs to perform from here on out to secure a playoff spot.
Helping them in that task is a pair of U.S. Olympic team members, Jocelyne Lamoureux and Monique Lamoureux-Knolls, who have played a major part in making North Dakota the contender it is today.
The Lamoureuxs lead the Sioux with 47 points each, while their closest teammate has 28 points. Wisconsin head coach Mark Johnson, who coached the sisters on the Olympic team last year, said they have had a massive impact on the program.
""You look at their point production—if you took them out of the lineup, where would the team be?"" Johnson said. ""They create opportunities, they score goals, they make the power play better, they make the penalty kill better, they make the other kids around them better.""
Wisconsin swept North Dakota the last time the teams met, claiming a 4-3 victory in the opener and a 6-2 win to close the series out. Two of Wisconsin's biggest producers, Duggan and sophomore forward Brianna Decker, scored in each of those games and will try to replicate that success this weekend.
Decker and Duggan are both coming off of point streaks of 20 and a program-best 25 games, respectively. While Duggan said having the record is a nice accomplishment, she was happier that her success came along with that of the team.
""It's cool to get your name on the record books and stuff like that,"" she said. ""I'm just glad that during those however many games it was, our team was successful and we were winning.""
When the Badgers and Sioux face off Friday at 7 p.m. and Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m., it could be the last games in the Kohl Center for Wisconsin's class of seven seniors. The Badgers will play the first round of the WCHA playoffs in Verona, and although they will likely return to Madison for an NCAA tournament game such an outcome is not guaranteed.
Decker said for Wisconsin's younger players the chance to send the class of 2011 out with a bang is a source of motivation.
""It's their last weekend, and we want to make it special for them,"" she said.
