MADISON, Wisc. — For the first time in 19 seasons of Division I play, the Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team swept their four game regular series with the Minnesota Gophers thanks to a 1-0 win on Saturday afternoon.
On the day the Badgers celebrated their senior class, learning that this was the first squad to achieve the feat was an extra bonus for Williams Bay native and senior captain Baylee Wellhausen.
“It makes my 5-year-old self, who loathed the Gophers, very happy,” she said.
Wisconsin is just about two years removed from having an 18-game winless streak against the Gophers. The rivalry between these teams is one of the best in the game and who dominates tends to go in streaks. Minnesota swept the season series against the Badgers three times in the last 19 years, but it’s Wisconsin that had the edge this season.
They closed out the sweep thanks to an impressive defensive effort on Saturday and a fluky goal from Maddie Rolfes.
Rolfes was part of the recruit class that came to Wisconsin in 2014 and was being honored on Saturday, but instead of partaking in senior day, she’s holding out hope for another season of eligibility as she’s applying for a medical redshirt for her shortened sophomore season when her four-year career is complete.
On a night she watched her classmates be honored, she scored the game’s only goal on a floating shot that was likely just meant to be a pass to the front of the net but deflected off both a Minnesota defender and the knob of goalie Sidney Peters’ stick before finding the top corner.
“That was the worst goal I’ve ever had, I think. Coach kept telling us to get pucks on net and eventually it paid off and it was the one goal we needed,” said Rolfes.
In a close game, Wisconsin’s defense, especially the penalty kill, was a crucial part of the win. A major force for the Badgers were 19 blocked shots – Rolfes and senior Lauren Williams each had five blocks for Wisconsin. The Gophers were 0-for-4 with the extra attacker. The Badgers allowed Minnesota just six shots in their four power plays – three of them were blocked and none were on goal.
“We had the mindset to sacrifice our bodies. We can have a bruise for two, three weeks but a goal will last a lot longer and a loss will last a lot longer,” said Rolfes.
The Badgers allowed just 16 shots on goal on Saturday after holding the Gophers to 15 shots in Friday’s game. The Gophers had just one other game this season where they put so few shots on net – it was also against Wisconsin, the Badgers’ 2-1 overtime win on October 29.
The Badgers started their season strong, going 24-1 to start the season before going 3-2-2 in the seven games prior to this weekend’s regular season finale. The sweep of the Gophers provided some much needed confidence and momentum for Wisconsin as they look to the postseason as the No. 1 team in the country.
The Badgers were without two top forwards as Sophia Shaver was listed as out indefinitely with an upper-body injury after slamming into the boards in Friday’s game. Alexis Mauermann missed her second straight game with a lower body injury.
The Badgers have next weekend off as they earned a bye in the opening round of the WCHA tournament as regular season champions, which will be a welcome rest for their injured team.
Minnesota will host St. Cloud State in a best-of-three series with the winner advancing to the WCHA Final Faceoff March 3 and 4 at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis.
