In the first contest of a two game series with No. 7 Clarkson, the No. 3 Badgers dominated but failed to come away with a win.
The battle ended in a 1-1 tie after a fairly uneventful overtime that only saw four total shots on goal.
Wisconsin controlled most of the game and did an excellent job maintaining possession of the puck. The Badgers outshot the Golden Knights by a whopping margin, 35-14. Yet, Wisconsin struggled to find the back of the net, and ultimately one poor mistake in the defensive zone resulted in the game ending in a draw.
Wisconsin head coach Mark Johnson cited the team’s scoring struggles but remained optimistic about his team’s play.
“We need to find a way to get to two, three or four [goals]. We’ve just been having trouble the last three weekends,” Johnson said. “We just have to bear down a little stronger, and focus more a little and try to get pucks in the net, but you know we had a couple great scoring opportunities. Good things are there, eventually it’s gonna go in.”
In the first period, Wisconsin controlled the flow of the game, mustering up eight shots and holding the Knights to just five. Clarkson freshman goalie Shea Tiley made several quality pad saves on tough shots from the wings.
Nine minutes into the second period, Wisconsin turned the puck over in the defensive zone, where it was scooped up by junior forward Cayley Mercer. Mercer beat Wisconsin sophomore goalie Ann-Renée Desbiens with a backhand to take a 1-0 lead.
Just three minutes after, Wisconsin answered with a power play goal. After nearly two full minutes of excellent puck movement and ample scoring chances, redshirt senior Brittany Ammerman took a shot from the left wing. The rebound bounced in front of the net, where senior Karley Sylvester hammered home the equalizer.
The Badgers also won the special teams battle, putting up 12 shots on four power plays and holding Clarkson to just two total shots on four power plays. Wisconsin’s stifling defense when shorthanded kept them in the game.
The third period saw more great scoring opportunities for the Badgers, including hitting the post twice. Despite the offensive flurry, the game headed to overtime locked at 1-1.
Wisconsin took three shots, including a Sylvester shot from point-blank range that was turned away by Tiley. Clarkson managed just one shot, which came when they went on the power play with 1:11 left in the game.
Although it ended in a tie, the Badgers played a solid game, controlling the puck, dominating on special teams and generating scoring chances. Sylvester, the lone goal scorer, echoed Johnson’s attitude on the lack of goals.
“It definitely can be a little frustrating, but we try not think of it like that. We’re getting shots to the net,” Sylvester said. “Every shot on net counts and it will come eventually.”
It certainly did come on Sunday in the second game of the series.
Wisconsin got the offense going early, with four shots on goal in the first two-and-a-half minutes, and they went on to finish the first period with 14. On the other side, Clarkson was held without a shot on goal until nearly 13 minutes into the period.
After the first intermission, UW came out firing again, and freshman forward Annie Pankowski scored just three and a half minutes in. That goal opened the proverbial floodgates for the freshman phenom, who proceeded to take over the game.
She scored again later in the second period, before topping off her second hat trick of the season early in the third.
She was coy about her performance, following the game.
“Our team was rolling on all cylinders,” Pankowski said. “I was just kind of the person there to finish them.”
Her performance helped Coach Johnson earn his 350th win as Wisconsin’s head coach. He spoke highly on his freshman’s development over this season.
“[She’s] adapting to the college game,” Johnson said.
Sylvester added a goal of her own, giving her 11 on the year and solidifying the Badgers’ 4-0 win over the Golden Knights.
Desbiens recorded another shutout, saving all 24 of Clarkson’s shots on goal. Her defense helped the Badgers out, killing all six of the Golden Knights’ power plays.
It was a confidence building win across the board for Wisconsin, who have dealt with a rough 2015 schedule so far. They head to Minnesota State next week, before returning home to host Minnesota Duluth in a crucial matchup in the first series of February.
These tough, late-season series will provide great experience for Johnson’s team as it prepares for a potential postseason run.
