\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Two years ago we went to two overtimes, last year we went to four, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m sure you all didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want us to go to six this year,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Wisconsin coach Mark Johnson said.<\/p>\n
This time, the Badgers (28-8-3) needed just 89 seconds of bonus hockey to eliminate Minnesota (27-7-4) and advance to a Frozen Four semifinal versus Harvard.<\/p>\n
Jinelle Zaugg put a shot on the Gopher net, and in the ensuing pile around the crease, rookie Mallory Deluce managed to get the puck over the goal line.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It was kind of like a chip, so I think the goalie was fumbling it a little bit,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Zaugg said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153She kind of fell back and it went in, and she pulled it out right away. A lucky bounce on our part for sure.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Wisconsin would not have made it to the extra session without goals from two other first-year forwards, Kelly Nash and Hillary Knight. Knight\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s goal came when the Badgers caught Minnesota with a lone defender back just 14 seconds into the third period, erasing a one-goal deficit.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We wanted to go out and obviously score early, and we did a great job of that,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d goaltender Jessie Vetter said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153[Knight] had a fantastic goal, and that definitely helped, getting the goal early. Momentum was back on our side, and that was huge.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Vetter, who recorded 21 saves, has now backstopped a trip to the Frozen Four in each of her three seasons. That streak looked to be in jeopardy during the final minute of regulation as the Gophers broke into the zone.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I saw it was a 3-on-1, and then I realized who it was,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Vetter said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It was [Erica] McKenzie, Bobbi [Ross], and [Gigi] Marvin — that’s not the three people you want coming at you.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Each of the trio had at least 20 goals on the season.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We did a good job of making them pass back, and Zaugg did a great job of backchecking and took it away from [Ross],\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Vetter said.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It was kind of surprising when it first developed, but it was so early on that we really didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get a chance to play it out,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Ross said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s unfortunate that we didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have the opportunity to generate something there, but they did their jobs and they backchecked.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
The Gophers needed every tick of the clock in the second period to grab their only lead of the game. Marvin got the puck ahead to a breaking Emily West. <\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I think I was cheating a little bit, because I was expecting her to pass,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Vetter said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It went off me and went in.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
A green light, not a red one, greeted West\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s shot, but referee Dan Lick ruled that the puck had gone in before time had expired.<\/p>\n
Marvin scored the only special teams goal of the night on a first period power play. Anya Miller\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s shot was partially blocked, and Ross moved it ahead to Marvin. Marvin waited until Vetter went down, and then roofed the puck over her.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153All four of the [Badger penalty killers] were crashing on that side, and [Ross] kicked it right to me,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Marvin said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I could have shot, but thank goodness I just pulled it back and put it in.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Some nights, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a game of bounces and opportunities, and we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been fortunate this year,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Johnson said.<\/p>\n
One such bounce went Wisconsin\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s way as the defending NCAA champs opened the scoring at 8:19 of the first period. Kayla Hagen threw the puck goalward, and it bounced off of Kelly Nash\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s upper body and into the net as she skated past the crease.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Our freshmen have stepped up so much since the beginning of the season,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Zaugg said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We really rely on them a lot.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We started off with a young hockey club this year,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Johnson said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got a bunch of freshmen. In the first couple months, they needed to mature and get some experience. And they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve become a better team, especially since December.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
The Badgers have only lost two games, both to Minnesota-Duluth, during the 2008 portion of the schedule.<\/p>\n
As long as we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been here, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve gone into overtime to go to the Frozen Four,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Vetter said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It makes it pretty exciting.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We certainly feel bad for [Minnesota], but that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s part of what we do in sports — somebody’s got to go home in defeat tonight,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Johnson said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153All of their seniors have made great contributions, not only to their university, but to our league, so we certainly want to congratulate them.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Ross, Miller, McKenzie, Whitney Graft, and Jenelle Philipczyk played their final game wearing the Minnesota \u00e2\u20ac\u0153M\u00e2\u20ac\u009d.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We went out in one heck of a hockey game,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Ross said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153That will be something else that will be easier to accept once we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not just sitting here moments after ending our season.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Right now, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re heartbroken and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hard to see past this game. But when we spoke in the locker room briefly after the game, one word that just kept popping up was how much fun we had. As a group, whether it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s while we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re playing a game, or while we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re hanging out, or while we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re on a bus on a road trip, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s never a dull moment. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just been an amazing ride.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I think our seniors set the tone from day one, and carried that tone on throughout the season, and even into tonight,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Gopher coach Brad Frost said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re a special group, and we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to miss them. Hopefully, the rest of our kids learn from them and everything that they gave, both on and off the ice. Really proud of the kids; couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have asked for one more thing from them.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Marvin hopes to capture that spirit in leading next season\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Gophers.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Whether we were down; whether we were on the 21-game unbeaten streak, they just had so much fun coming to the ice, which is what it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all about,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153They love the game so much, and I think that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got to bring next year.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nThe Badgers don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get to enjoy the win for long, as they face top-ranked and once-beaten Harvard on Thursay.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153If I was playing, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d be all fired up,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Johnson said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Now we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re down to four teams. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to have a great bus ride home.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a long journey to get here, you work hard, and you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re thankful that you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to get an opportunity.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Wisconsin has made the most of those opportunities in winning back-to-back NCAA titles.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been practicing for six months, and once you go over some things after you watch some video, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time to play again,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Johnson said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153So I think the quick turnaround, and obviously the importance of the game, the excitement of the atmosphere — we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be ready to go.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Two years ago we went to two overtimes, last year we went to four, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m sure you all didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want us to go to six this year,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Wisconsin coach Mark Johnson said. This time, the Badgers (28-8-3) needed just 89 seconds of bonus hockey to eliminate Minnesota (27-7-4) and advance to a Frozen Four […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22374,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"coauthors":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/recaps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8900"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/recaps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/recaps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/recaps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/recaps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8900"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/recaps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8900\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/recaps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22374"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/recaps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8900"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/recaps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8900"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/recaps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8900"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/recaps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=8900"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}