Returning repeat national champions Wisconsin women’s hockey opened their 2026-27 campaign in dominating fashion, sweeping St. Lawrence on the road at Appleton Arena in Canton, New York on Sept. 25.
The Badgers outscored the Saints 12-2 across the two games, extending their winning streak against St. Lawrence to six games.
Head Coach Mark Johnson addressed his mindset going into their opening series.
“Game one [is] probably, for me, the most challenging because I have certain expectations. I anticipate certain things, and then we play this game, and whether those get met or not I don’t know,” Johnson said in a press conference on Sept. 22. “Things start as we start our first game.”
Captain Kelly Gorbatenko shared similar sentiments about their team dynamic going into the season.
“It’s more about setting the tempo from the start, being focused on the rink, on ice and off ice, and just kind of setting that precedent at the beginning of the season,” Gorbatenko told The Daily Cardinal.
Friday
The Badgers needed a period to settle in on Friday. St. Lawrence got off to an early lead with goals by Alexia Côté and Rylan Haslam, less than two minutes apart.
A goal by Wisconsin’s Finley McCarthey, assisted by freshman Rosalie Tromblay, cut the deficit to one before the Badgers took control of the game.
The second period brought a new challenge when star goalie Ava McNaughton skated off after contact in the crease. She appeared to leave the ice with a lower-body injury. Sophomore goaltender Rhyah Stewart came into the game for McNaughton.
The Badgers were able to rally behind their goalie, netting three over the second period. Gorbatenko scored her first of the year off of a centering pass from Charlotte Pieckenhagen. Cassie Hall and Rosalie Tromblay made it 3-2 and 4-2 Badgers with Tromblay scoring on the power play.
The Badgers were able to pull away in the third period, netting two more goals to make it a dominating 6-2 victory.
Pieckenhagen scored on a tip-in that snuck in the five-hole, assisted by Madelyn Kimbrel. Kimbrel earned her first career assist and Gorbatenko scored her second of the night, assisted by Hall and Pieckenhagen.
The Badgers held it down the last 14 minutes of the game to secure the 6-2 victory over the Saints. Stewart stopped all 11 shots she faced after coming in for McNaughton to earn her first win of the season.
Saturday
The Badgers carried their momentum into Saturday, shutting out the Saints 6-0. Following McNaughton’s injury on Friday, Stewart got the start for game two.
Alternate Captain Maggie Scannell opened the scoring just four minutes into the game, assisted by sophomore Adela Šapovalivová.
Freshman Hailey Box netted the first goal of her collegiate career early in the second period. The play started when Box picked off an errant pass and sent it over to Kimbrel, who set her up for the one-timer.
Scannell scored her second of the night off of a wrap-around attempt by Šapovalivová, making it 3-0 Badgers.
Gorbatenko scored two power play goals back-to-back, adding onto an already commanding lead. Her first was assisted by Hall, while she scored her second on a stellar tip-in off of a pass from Laney Potter.
With just three minutes remaining in the game Hall scored to make it 6-0, barely tucking it in behind the goaltender.
Stewart stopped all 15 shots by the Saints to earn her first shutout, and Wisconsin controlled the shot battle 37-15.
Gorbateko finished the weekend with a career high five-points, tallying four goals and an assist. The sweep marked the 22nd time Wisconsin has opened the season with a sweep and the fourth consecutive year the Badgers have done so.
Looking ahead to next week, the Boston University Terriers will skate to Madison to play their first games of the season. Their opening exhibition game against the Long Island University Sharks was canceled due to weather in the area. The NCAA championship banner is scheduled to be raised before Thursday’s game.
After McNaughton’s injury, eyes will be on Stewart to continue her momentum from this weekend. Assistant Coach Dan Koch spoke to the media and addressed McNaughton's injury on Sept. 29.
“Ava’s going to be fine. She wanted to actually dress and give it a shot on Saturday,” Koch said. “She’s been out there in practice all week. She looks good.”
If the Badgers can get their offense going early, they should have little trouble with the Terriers this week.
The non-conference series will be more of a test for the Badgers, but they come in with the upper hand. The Badgers are 6-0 in games versus the Terriers. The last time the teams faced off was in 2017 during the “D1 in D.C.” tournament where the Badgers won 4-2.
They face off against BU at La Bahn Arena at 7 p.m. Thursday.
Staff Writer
