MADISON — After suffering their first loss in 38 games last night, the Wisconsin Badgers responded in a big way Saturday afternoon. Maggie Scannell, set the tone early, scoring from one knee just 14 seconds into the game
It was exactly the start to the game that coach Mark Johnson hoped to see from his team.
“We talked about what kind of response we wanted after we got challenged after last night’s game, and we accepted the challenge and obviously got off to a good start. The effort, the commitment, the things that we had talked about after last night’s game in the morning, we went out and executed,” said Johnson.
An already banged up Badger team took another hit when it appeared a puck got up and under Maggie Scannell’s cage, leaving her bleeding. After the game, Johnson said she required stitches. Later in the game, Cassie Hall took a shot off her leg that left her hobbled and needing help off the ice. Both players eventually returned to the ice, but their absence required a rewrite of the line sheet early in the game.
The Badgers are no strangers to switching up line compostion – Johnson makes switches throughout a game, particularly if his team doesn’t seem to be clicking – but Saturday’s game really spoke to the depth and adaptability of the Wisconsin line up.
“You can trust anybody on the roster, no matter who goes down, how many go down. You know somebody is about to step up and create opportunities that are needed. It is a testament to the depth of our team,” said Kirsten Simms.
It was Simms who doubled the Badger lead less than three minutes in on a pass from behind the net by Cassie Hall. Clark was scrambling and Simms placed the puck over her right shoulder.
Minnesota pulled one back with just under four minutes to play in the first. Wisconsin struggled much of the period with clean breakouts from their zone, even on the power play. The Gophers pushed back with a strong forecheck and a weak clearance came to Laitinen in the far faceoff circle with nothing but space. She gathered the puck and wristed it past McNaughton at the far post to make it a 2-1 game. But that’s as close as it would get for Minnesota.
Kelly Gorbatenko scored the first of her two goals 1:36 into the second and that would prove to be the game-winner. Simms found Gorbatenko open at the bottom of the circle and put the puck on her tape. Gorbatenko one-timed it on net. The puck deflected off Molly Jordan’s stick, putting it over Hannah Clark and into the back of the net.
After missing five games with a lower body injury, Laila Edwards returned to the Badgers’ lineup on this weekend and made her preesence known with a power play goal on Saturday to extend the lead to 4-1. Continuing the theme of scoring early in the period, Harvey buried the puck from the high slot 2:54 into the third to make it a 5-1 game. Scannell backhanded the puck from the boards behind the net and it found open ice for Harvey to step up and shoot it.
The Gophers found some momentum in the early third thanks to two Wisconsin penalties. Abbey Murphy scored on the power play to make it 5-2, then Minnesota immediately had another extra attacker opportunity. Despite some good looks, they weren’t able to break through and Wisconsin started to pull the momentum back, culminating with a power play goal from defender Emma Venusio just before the midpoint of the frame to make it 6-2.
Gorbatenko closed things out two minutes later, potting her second of the night and securing the 7-2 win for Wisconsin.
Despite a tough game for Wisconsin on Friday, one thing that did consistently go well for them was faceoffs. Minnesota tried six different skaters in the circle, but couldn’t seem to gain a consistant foothold. That would prove true again on Saturday, as the Badgers’ first goal was the product of a won faceoff in the offensive zone.
Wisconsin’s first goal on Saturday came from a faceoff win by Scannell herself – she pulled the puck back to Vivian Jungels, who sent it cross ice to KK Harvey. Harvey quickly found Scannell as she went to the net front. That kind of precision and execution would give Minnesota a difficult time all game. On the weekend, UW won 60% of the faceoffs.
The series closed out a six-game stretch for the Gophers where they played the no. 2, no. 4 and no. 1 team in the country back-to-back-to-back. With splits with Ohio State and the Badgers and a sweep of the Bulldogs, they were 4-2 in that stretch and are 10-2 overall.
Both teams have a bye next weekend for the November international break. Johnson said his team is looking forward to the extra time to get healthy. He expects that both Laney Potter and Ava Murphy, who was not on the ice Saturday after playing on Friday, would be back on the ice. That would leave only Adéla Šapovalivová, who is recovering from injury suffered when blocking a puck against Minnesota State on October 26, on the team’s injured list.
Abbey Murphy, Chloe Primerano, Laila Edwards, Kirsten Simms, Lacey Eden and Ava McNaughton were all named to Rivlary Series rosters and are expected to play for their respective countries on Thursday in Cleveland and Saturday in Buffalo.