After a sweep last week at the hands of rival Minnesota, the Badgers (6-2-0 WCHA, 8-2-0 overall) headed to Bemidji State and got their season back on track with a sweep of their own over the Beavers.
Wisconsin started strong on Friday, holding the home team to just two shots in the first period, while racking up nine of its own, leading to a goal by senior forward Katy Josephs just over 10 minutes in.
The second period brought some controversy as the Beavers thought they scored the equalizing goal, but it was waved off for being kicked into the net. The Badgers were quick to respond, when freshman forward Baylee Wellhausen sent one of the team’s 13 shots past the Bemidji State goaltender.
A few UW penalties gave BSU more opportunities, but sophomore goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens stood strong and kept the shutout going until late in the third period, when the Beavers were able to score on their fourth and final power play of the night.
The late rally was not enough, and Wisconsin held on for the 2-1 victory.
“We came out a little flat in the beginning, but once we got that period out of the way we came out hard and we remained aggressive,” Wellhausen said. “I think that was the most positive thing today.”
That aggression carried over to Saturday, as Wisconsin came out firing. The shots came in bunches, and it took only three minutes before redshirt senior forward Brittany Ammerman lit the lamp on an unassisted goal.
Bemidji State responded quickly, tying the game 49 seconds later on a solo shot of their own. Wisconsin kept firing though, putting up 18 shots in the first period, and took the lead once again halfway through the period on freshman forward Emily Clark’s goal.
The next two periods were more of the same. Forwards Sarah Nurse, a sophomore, and Annie Pankowski, a freshman, scored within the first two minutes of the second and third periods, respectively. In both periods, the Beavers were quick to respond, scoring their own goals.
In the end, that second first-period goal by Clark proved to be the difference maker as the Badgers came out on top 4-3.
The two wins mean Wisconsin now leads the WCHA in points and figures to spend the entirety of conference play in a two-horse race with Minnesota.
With some momentum on their side, Wisconsin heads to North Dakota next weekend. UND was ranked eighth before getting swept by Minnesota this past weekend, and the mascot-less team should be another test for UW early in this season.
UWBadgers.com contributed to this report.
