Coming off of two losses against No. 1 Minnesota, the No. 4 Wisconsin Badgers (1-2-0 WCHA, 3-2-0 overall)were able to get back to their winning ways when they defeated St. Cloud State(0-2-1, 0-3-2), 4-1, on Friday night, in a physical game that featured 15 penalties between the two teams.
It was an overall dominating performance for the Badgers who after two periods were outshooting the Huskies 48-4, and ended up with 56 shots on goal for the night.
The second period was especially impressive for UW, who put 32 shots on goal while only allowing a single shot for St. Cloud State.
In the period, the Huskies were penalized five times, which kept the Badgers constantly on the power play. UW only scored 1 power play goal on the night despite having 10 opportunities, but it still kept the Huskies on the defensive for most of the game.
“We did a good job of continuing to put pressure on [the Huskies], and the kids got rewarded,” head coach Mark Johnson said. “Probably could have had a few more in the second period, but it was a good team effort.”
One of UW’s power play opportunities came after a scary moment in the second period in which freshman forward Sydney McKibbon was sent headfirst into the boards and laid motionless on the ice for a few moments. Luckily, she was able to not only get back up and skate off the ice, but was also able to return to play in the third period.
The Badgers’ offensive dominance was highlighted by a strong performance by junior forward Katy Josephs, who scored two goals and had an assist on UW’s other two goals as well. The 2 goals and 4 points tied career highs for her.
“I had a really good game. I haven’t had one of those in awhile, so it was good for me,” Josephs said. “I’ve got to credit my teammates, none of those goals would happen without their hard work.”
In addition, redshirt junior forward Brittany Ammerman, who came into the game as UW’s scoring leader, was able to tally on a goal an assist, and senior defenseman Natalie Berg scored the Badgers’ other goal.
Despite being on the power play often, Wisconsin scored 3 of their goals at even strength, which was just fine with Johnson.
“[The penalties] take away from the flow of the game,” Johnson said. “I prefer a 5-on-5 game, and when we did have 5-on-5 I thought we played well.”
Despite not facing nearly as many shots as Huskies goalie Julie Friend, who made 52 saves, senior goaltender Alex Rigsby had another solid performance, making 16 saves while only allowing the one goal.
“[Rigsby] always stands on her head for us, she always keeps us in there,” Josephs said. “She’s still always there, she’s always a rock behind us.”
On a night where the Badgers had the game firmly in control by the time the third period started, Johnson was pleased with the energy his team showed to the very end of the game, and hopes to see it continue into their next game with St. Cloud State and beyond.
“We talked about playing for 60 minutes, and I thought we came out with some energy,” Johnson said. “We built on what we did last week and tried to play at a high pace. For the most part, it was pretty good.”
