Sophomore forward Maggie Scannell scored four goals as the No. 1 Badgers made quick work of WCHA foes Bemidji State in their opening series against the Bemidji State Beavers.
Now where were we?
When the Badgers last took the ice, they were lifting the national championship trophy after a clutch performance from now-senior forward Kirsten Simms in the national championship game against Ohio State, capping off arguably the greatest season in program history. Forward Casey O’Brien had just won the Patty Kazmaier Award for the best player in women’s college hockey after breaking the Wisconsin career points record formerly held by the great Hilary Knight.
However, now the hunt begins for championship number nine. After losing O’Brien, as well as forward Sarah Wozniewicz, defender Katie Kotlowski and goaltender Quinn Kuntz, the Badgers retooled with six incoming freshmen. With the Olympics looming and Wisconsin losing up to six of their players for most of February, they’ll need to hit the ground running if they want to maximize their chances to repeat as national champions.
Wisconsin hits the ground running on Friday
Wisconsin entered the weekend with a 19-game win streak against the Bemidji State Beavers. Czech freshman forward Adéla Šapovalivová, the first European-born player in Badger history, started on the first line and senior forward Laila Edwards started at defense, the position she plays for the U.S. National Team.
The first few minutes were slow, with Wisconsin dominating possession and getting a few high-quality chances in as the clock approached the 10 minute mark in the first period. With about 4:20 left in the first period, Simms got the puck from fifth-year forward Lacey Eden and made her own magic, driving into the lower right side and wristing the puck above the glove of BSU goaltender Katilinn Groess to open the scoring on Wisconsin’s 2025-26 season. After dangerous looks from Eden and sophomore forward Hannah Halverson, the first period drew to a close.
About eight minutes into the second period, Wisconsin nearly added to their lead when a puck found itself meandering towards the goal line, but a sharp play from the Bemidji State defense prevented what could’ve been a cheap goal.
About a minute later, however, after Groess lost her glove, Eden scored from the left side to take a 2-0 lead while Groess was out of position. That two goal lead wouldn’t last long, as Maddie Kaiser’s missile from the left point found its way behind junior goaltender Ava McNaughton to cut the lead to 2-1 just one minute later.
The goal gave the Beavers a boost of energy, but a trio of chances from Eden, Edwards and captain Carolina Harvey swung that momentum back towards Wisconsin in the span of only 15 seconds.
Scannell would be the one to capitalize, bouncing the puck off of a Bemidji State defender’s skate and between the legs of Groess to take a two-goal lead.
Three minutes later, Scannell scored her second goal after a puck bounced into the air and somehow found its way into the net, leaving even the Wisconsin players confused as to who actually scored. Simms and junior forward Cassie Hall each added a goal before the second period ended.
Three minutes into the third period, freshman forward Charlotte Pieckenhagen took advantage of a wide-open net to score her first goal as a Badger. Over the next six minutes, Bemidji’s Kate Johnson and Wisconsin’s Eden would trade goals before Scannell scored her third goal halfway through the third period, giving her a hat trick.
McNaughton stopped 14 of 16 shots she faced as the Badgers took a 9-2 opening night win.
Wisconsin keeps trucking on Saturday
Technical errors on the part of Big Ten Plus meant nobody but those in the arena were able to watch the first fifteen minutes of Saturday’s contest, and perhaps the Badgers realized that, because they waited until the game came back on air to open up scoring.
Less than a minute after Big Ten Plus started airing the game, Šapovalivová scored her first career goal as a Badger, which held up despite a lengthy review into a possible offsides violation by Simms.
Before the period ended, Scannell and Hall scored to send the Badgers into intermission up three.
Wisconsin killed a pair of penalties early in the second period, and the teams traded chances until the four minute mark when a point shot from Harvey rebounded right to Edwards who netted her first goal of the season after leading the NCAA in goals last year.
Bemidji State’s Lola Macuiba committed a hooking minor with 15.5 seconds left in the second period, and Simms capitalized early in the third scoring Wisconsin’s first power play goal of the year from the top of the right circle a minute and a half into the final frame.
McNaughton stopped every shot she faced to secure the 5-0 victory.
Next week, the Badgers will come home to Madison to take on the Maine Black Bears on Friday and Saturday. On Friday, they’ll unveil their new national championship banner.
