A pair of 5-1 wins over Bemidji State have the Wisconsin women’s hockey team at 10-0- 0 to start the season.
The pair of wins extended its home unbeaten streak to 18 games.
Bemidji State falls to 1-6- 1 overall and 0-4- 0 in the WCHA after the weekend sweep at the hands of the Badgers.
After a slow start to Friday’s game, the Badgers came out firing, scoring their first goal just 46 seconds into the game.
“I think we ended yesterday’s game really fast and really strong so I think we just kind of mimicked that energy and came out just as fast and just as excited to play,” said Wisconsin’s Presley Norby. “It’s always fun to play Saturday night in LaBahn,”
Mikaela Gardner kept the puck in the zone and got it to Norby, who found captain Claudia Kepler heading towards the net. A pretty little top-shelf shot gave Wisconsin the early lead.
“It was a great start,” said Wisconsin coach Mark Johnson. “We talked about coming out and establishing an offensive zone presence. It was a good period for us.”
Kepler, who’s eight goals on the season are second in the county and one off the national lead, has scored the first Badger goal in four games thus far this season.
“It was great to get on the right foot,” Kepler said. “We’re always preaching in the locker room to start off strong. It
was great to see us finally do it today. Honestly, it’s just doing the little things. We’re just getting the puck deep. We’re not worried about making the pretty plays. We’re just reading the situation.”
Bemidji State started redshirt freshman Lauren Bench in net after both Erin Deters and Kerigan Dowhy saw time in Friday’s game. It was Bench’s third start thus far this season.
Natalie Buchbinder gave Wisconsin a 2-0 lead with just more than two minutes to go in the first period with her first collegiate goal. Roque nudged a loose puck to her back at the top of the far circle and Bench never saw Buchbinder’s shot through traffic.
Maddie Rowe was leveled in the crease, but came away with goal number three after a scrum for a loose puck ended with it behind Bench.
Gardner made it 4-0 on a pretty centering pass from behind the net from Norby that bounced around a bit but trickled in.
The Beavers got one back in the third period on a great effort from Lydia Passolt, but Kepler’s power play goal with about five minutes left in the game ensured the victory for Wisconsin.
The Badgers continue to show impressive scoring depth – there are just three skaters who haven’t tallied a point over the first ten games. Eight different players netted goals and 14 players tallied points over the course of the weekend.
Transfer goalie Kristen Campbell continues to impress, also starting the season 10-0- 0. She is second in the country, with a 0.90 goals against average.
“(Kristen’s) a professional,” Johnson said. “She takes her craft very seriously. She’s got good habits both on and off the ice. It’s nice to see her get rewarded. It’s the first time she’s really been able to be in net for an extended period of time in her career. She’s taken the opportunity and making the most of it.”
The Badgers travel to Minnesota for their first Border Battle series of the year next weekend. The teams meet at 4 pm on Saturday and 3 pm on Sunday.
