ANDY BAGGOT Insider Related Content Varsity Magazine

BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider

MADISON, Wis. — One of the DNA strands woven throughout a true championship program is its ability to adapt to the forces of change year after year.

The collective attitude never changes, nor do the expectations, but the pieces evolve constantly and they often do so over the course of a season.

More proof of that came courtesy of the Wisconsin women's hockey team, whose members stepped atop another important podium Sunday afternoon at LaBahn Arena.

The second-ranked Badgers scorched Minnesota State, 8-1, in a Western Collegiate Hockey Association series finale and treated a sellout crowd of 2,273 to a several milestones.

Chief among them was Wisconsin (30-1-1 overall, 24-1-1 with 72 points in the WCHA) clinching the fifth league regular-season title since 2006 and its first since 2012. The previous four gave way to a berth in the NCAA championship game.

The Badgers also extended their record home winning streak to 22 games and secured their sixth 30-victory season in the last decade. The previous five times they had that many wins they advanced to the national title match.

The 10th full house of the season – another school standard – also saw a cool individual moment. On a day when eight seniors were celebrated along with their parents, four-year standout defenseman and captain Courtney Burke had a memorable outing.

Her first-period goal gave her 100 career points – making her the third blue-liner in program history to hit that target – and she followed that up with four assists to complete her first-ever five-point game at the college level.

In the victorious dressing room after the trophy presentation, Burke was given the coveted hard hat to commemorate her performance. Then she and her teammates heard Wisconsin coach Mark Johnson say something that might surprise the casual fan.

"That's a tough one to win," he said of the league trophy. "Tougher than the national championship."

Johnson's iconic father, Bob, made the same observation when he coached the UW men's team to NCAA crowns in 1973, '77 and '81.

Mark, who was on that national title-winning club in '77, explained to his players that a WCHA crown is a six-month undertaking that involves a lot of moving parts, a great deal of sacrifice and a universal commitment to self-improvement.

Not just the players, either. It helps explain why Johnson invited all the support staffers into the dressing room and had his players give them a hand.

"You met the challenge," Johnson told assembled group.

The Badgers are built differently than the previous four WCHA titlists. They currently have one 40-point player in sophomore winger Annie Pankowski, two 20-goal scorers in junior winger Sarah Nurse and sophomore center Emily Clark and three other 30-point producers in Burke, Nurse and Clark.

For sake of comparison, the 2006 outfit finished with seven 30-point-getters, the '07 squad had three 50-point performers, the '11 team had three with 30-plus goals and 80-plus points, while the 2012 club had four with 50-plus points.

The current Badgers aren't as explosive, but they're deep, detailed and driven by some close, agonizing finishes the last couple seasons. Consider that they have 13 players with game-winning goals and six individuals who have had at least one multi-goal game. They also lead the nation in defense and penalty killing.

All five WCHA championship clubs at Wisconsin had great goaltending. Junior Ann-Renee Desbiens, with 16th shutouts this season, looks to be at least the statistical equivalent of Jessie Vetter in 2006 and '07 and Alex Rigsby in 2011 and '12.         

Senior day celebrations usually create a lot of distractions and that was the case Sunday. The Badgers looked out of rhythm early and that translated to a 2-1 lead after 40 minutes. The highlight was Burke's milestone backhander from the left hash in the first.

"I didn't see it go in the net, but it was pretty awesome," she said.

Burke joined Sis Paulsen (130) and Kerry Weiland (124) as the only Wisconsin defensemen in the 100-point club.

"I was really excited," Burke said of her keepsake moment. "I got super excited and super nervous. I don't even remember the play, so it shows you how excited I was."

The Badgers blew it open in the third session, scoring six times and piling up a school-record 31 shots against last-place Minnesota State (3-25-4, 0-22-3, 3 points).

"We're going to cherish this weekend for sure," UW senior center Erika Sowchuk said.

The trophy celebration was fairly tame and that's understandable. Wisconsin will finish the regular season Friday and Saturday at third-ranked Minnesota, the runner-up in the standings, but also the defending NCAA champion.

The Badgers swept their previous series in December, but the Gophers have since added former Patty Kazmaier Award winner Amanda Kessel, who had been battling the effects of a concussion for the previous two years.

That duel with Minnesota will give way to a rematch with Minnesota State in the opening round of the WCHA playoffs Feb. 26 to 28.

"After this we're happy we won, but we have to focus on Minnesota and finish off the season strong," Burke said.

"We're going to use this momentum going to next week to Minnesota and the playoffs," Sowchuk said.

What did Wisconsin players think when they heard Johnson say their WCHA title came at a higher price than a national crown?

"He keeps saying that we worked six months for this and we all believe that," Burke said. "We worked out butts off all season. I think this is just the reward for us."

Sowchuk made note of the fact that four WCHA teams – Wisconsin, Minnesota, Bemidji State and North Dakota – began the weekend ranked in the top 10 behind unbeaten No. 1 Boston College.

"I believe our league is the toughest," she said. "It's hard and it's a battle. We've battled since October against them and I think it's a huge feat.

"I don't think you really realize it until you play in this league, but it's a really long season and to battle hard for four, five, sixth months is a hard thing to do. I think we've executed that really well and been focused the whole time. It's a huge reward for us, for sure."

What makes this current Wisconsin product unique?

"We get along so well off the ice that it shows on the ice," Burke said.

"We've got something special going," Sowchuk said. "We're really clicking."