MINNEAPOLIS — Wisconsin senior captain Baylee Wellhausen converted a pass from Abby Roque at 1:32 of overtime to defeat host Minnesota 2-1 on Sunday.
“I figured we might be going to a shootout, but we found a way to hit the back of the net,” Badgers coach Mark Johnson said. “I told the team after the game [that] they earned that victory. They played hard, and they competed hard, and I’m happy for them.”
The top-ranked Badgers (12-0-0, 6-0-0-0 WCHA) held the puck in their offensive zone for long stretches, but both of their goals resulted from quick strikes in transition.
“For 60 minutes, we probably played better tonight than we did last night,” Johnson said. “Especially the last 40 minutes, I thought we played really well.”
On the winning play, Roque carried down the right wing on a two-on-one rush, and her pass sent Wellhausen in alone on Minnesota goaltender Sidney Peters. Wellhausen’s shot went off Peters’ blocker, popped in the air, and fell into the goal.
“It was a frustrating way to get scored on, because I kind of got to watch it in slow motion,” Peters said.
The senior was the busier of the two goaltenders, finishing with 25 saves to 16 for winning goalie Kristen Campbell.
“You get into overtime with a really good team, you want to try to find a way to win it,” Gophers coach Brad Frost said. “Weren’t able to get the puck deep, and they transitioned fairly quickly as they have a lot this weekend.”
The rest of the scoring took place in a span of 76 seconds in the middle period. Alexis Mauermann beat Peters upstairs on another odd-man rush, and Grace Zumwinkle answered with her fifth power-play goal of her rookie season.
“The desire that they had to win that hockey game is everything that we want from them,” Frost said. “Our team is disappointed, but as coaches, we’re really, really proud.”
Next weekend, the Gophers (5-4-1, 4-3-1-0 WCHA) are on the road as they travel to Mankato to face Minnesota State, while the Badgers host No. 4 Ohio State in a battle for WCHA supremacy.
“[The Buckeyes] have more depth,” Johnson said. “They added a couple pieces, so they’re able to put together a deeper roster, and certainly getting off to a good start like they have, they’re playing with confidence. Similar to this weekend, it will be a good matchup.”
