In women’s hockey, where body-checking is officially illegal, physical play is still an important part of the game and has a tendency to manifest itself in more dangerous forms, like scrums after the whistle or questionable hits behind the play and away from the attention of the referees.
Like in any sport, the interpretation of these acts will differ wildly between coaches, players and officials as to what constitutes a “dirty” or illegal play, and what is allowable. In Wisconsin’s most recent series against the North Dakota Fighting Hawks, a series in which the Badgers saw defenders Mellissa Channell and Lauren Williams helped off the ice with injuries, there were a number of plays that drew the ire of the team and fans alike.
“The thing about our game whether you’re Wisconsin or North Dakota or whoever we’re playing against, the safety part of it is the most important,” said head coach Mark Johnson. “If somebody crosses that line we need to hold them accountable. That’s not the way the game’s designed to be played and if you do, there are going to be consequences.”
Wisconsin’s players are expecting another physical battle in this weekend’s matchup with Minnesota State (3-15-2 WCHA, 6-18-3 overall). The No. 1 Badgers (17-2-1, 22-2-1) swept the first series of the year in Mankato, Minn., by a combined score of 6-1.
“[Minnesota State] plays a similar style to North Dakota, so I think it’s gonna be a rough game; I think there are gonna be a lot of penalties and they’re gonna battle hard against us,” said senior captain Sydney McKibbon, who recorded two assists in the first game of the year between the two teams. “They’re gonna be chirping us and saying stuff in front of the net, but it’s just important to play our game and focus on us for 60 minutes.”
One of Wisconsin’s key contributors was absent the first time around, but figures to play a big role in the rematch. Junior forward Annie Pankowski missed the earlier series against the Mavericks while playing in the Four Nations Cup for USA Hockey. Since her return against Minnesota-Duluth two weekends later, Pankowski has scored a team-leading 15 goals in just 13 games.
The Badgers hope that their experience, and success, in a physical series against North Dakota will prepare them for upcoming challenges against Minnesota State and further down the road.
“We learned a lot about our character last weekend, we were able to push through a lot of that adversity,” said senior defender Jenny Ryan. “We were able to push past and play through the physical play so moving forward we know that we can play with anything and be successful.”
Whoever the opponent, the Badgers know that it is incumbent on them to meet the challenge that their top ranking represents.
“When you’re number one, everyone wants to beat you,” said McKibbon. “I think we just have to focus on continuing to get better every single game, every period, every shift.”
