MADISON — Wisconsin sophomore Laila Edwards earned some redemption Friday night. The Badger forward got caught up in the battle portion of her team’s border battle with Minnesota late in regulation, taking a penalty for tackling Abbey Murphy with just 1:07 left in regulation. The Gophers capitalized just six seconds into the player advantage as Josefin Bouveng ripped a slapshot from the right faceoff dot to tie the game 3-3 and force overtime.
The home team controlled possession for much of the start of overtime and when they switched lines for a third time, Edwards got her chance to make amends. Casey O’Brien passed her the puck at the blue line right as she took to the ice and Edwards saw a path to the net by swinging wide to the right. Using her big frame, she cut back to the net front, protecting the puck and giving herself room. She was past Madeline Wethington, but the two got tangled up, twisting Edwards so she was on her knees with her back to the goal. But using her long reach and stick, she completed the play and slid the puck past Skylar Vetter to give Wisconsin the 4-3 overtime win.
OH. MY. GOD.
That's all we have right now to say about this @laila_edwards21 goal 😶 pic.twitter.com/PAzEf8QrL3
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerWHockey) February 17, 2024
“It was a stupid penalty,” Edwards said. “I should know not to get into it with Murphy. So that was on me, and I had to do my best to make it up and, luckily, I did.”
The idea of redeeming herself was on her mind when she got on the ice in overtime, but she knew she said she knew she had to be careful not to get too eager or overplay the situation.
“At this level I think it’s important to keep a level head and I was a bit down after getting that penalty,” Edwards said. “But I think the main emotion I felt after getting that goal was just relief because I knew I let the team down and I had to make it up. I felt instant relief and I was very grateful.”
The acrobatic final play overshadowed a game that was something of a goalie showdown as both Vetter and Jane Gervais made spectacular save after spectacular save to keep their teams in the game. Vetter in particular was crucial in ensuring that a fast-paced Badger team was not able to run up the score.
While Wisconsin controlled much of the start of the game, holding Minnesota without a shot for the first seven minutes of play, it was the Gophers that got on the board first. Careless play with the puck along the boards in their defensive zone led to a turnover and the puck on Peyton Hemp’s stick all alone in front of Badger goalie Jane Gervais. Hemp’s shot beat her through the five-hole to give Minnesota a 1-0 lead.
Wisconsin was finally able to get on the board in the second when Kelly Gorbatenko’s no-look pass found Laney Potter crashing the net through the slot. Potter’s shot was a no-doubter to tie the game 1-1. They took a 2-1 lead when Chayla Edwards’ shot was deflected by Marianne Picard.
Josefin Bouveng tied the game 2-2 early in the third on a turn around top shelf wrister, but less than three minutes later Lacey Eden carried the puck around the net and found Britta Curl in the slot, where she shot through Vetter’s five-hold to give Wisconsin a 3-2 lead. They carried the lead until Laila Edwards’ ill-timed penalty.
As Wisconsin’s biggest names were stymied by a hot Vetter, it was a second-pairing defender and third-line forward that kick-started the Badger offense. It speaks to the team’s depth.
“That’s a sign of something that is good and positive when you can get some depth in your scoring,” UW coach Mark Johnson said. “It certainly puts confidence in the players who do it. More importantly it makes it more challenging to play against us.”
Curl was unsurprised that the team was getting key contributions from players further down the scoresheet. Teams like the Badgers and Gophers match up well through their top lines, often neutralizing each other.
“I’ve noticed in my career that in big games like this it often comes down to your third line or your second or third D pair,” Curl said. “Ours really stepped up today.”
The game was an important one for both teams in terms of Pairwise and postseason positioning. Thanks to the overtime and Colgate’s loss to Yale, Wisconsin vaulted to the #2 spot, while Minnesota climbed to #3. The win also gave the Badgers a five point edge over the Gophers in the conference standings. Ohio State can clinch the conference title by earning two points on Saturday.
The sold-out crowd was loud and boisterous in the face of this close game, adding even more to the game. But Laila Edwards said that the anticipation of the Border Battle and the atmosphere in LaBahn are why players chose to play for Wisconsin and Minnesota.
“These are the moments I live for,” Edwards said. “I mean, every game is important but these in particular, there’s so many emotions and a lot of pressure. And pressure’s a privilege, so I try to take advantage of that privilege and do what I can to help the team win.”
The two teams will meet again on Saturday at 2 p.m. central. The game will be streamed on BigTenPlus.com.
