2001-02 Women's Hockey Season-In-Review
May 22, 2002 | Women's Hockey
The Wisconsin women's ice hockey team (22-11-2, 17-6-1 WCHA) took another step towards joining the elite in college hockey. The Badgers finished in a second-place tie in league standings, earning the No. 2 seed for the WCHA Women's Final Five. The Badgers then took second in the postseason tournament, their highest finish to date. It was the second-consecutive season Wisconsin reached 20 wins.
A TALE OF TWO CITIES: The Badgers finished the season among the best in the nation. In its last 18 games, Wisconsin went 15-3-0. Six of the 15 wins came against teams ranked in the nation's top 10 and three came against eventual NCAA champion Minnesota-Duluth. All three of the losses were on the road and by one goal, while two were at the hands of the No. 1 team in the country. Wisconsin led the WCHA with an 11-1-0 conference mark during the second half of the season.
WCHA WOMEN'S FINAL FIVE: Seeded as the No. 2 team for the 2002 WCHA Women's Frozen Four, the Badgers faced the eventual NCAA champions in the first round and skated to a 4-1 victory over Minnesota-Duluth. Frosh defender Carla MacLeod led the way with three assists, while junior defender Sis Paulsen collected a goal and an assist and junior Kendra Antony set up two goals.
The Badgers advanced to face WCHA regular-season champion Minnesota, then ranked No. 1 in the nation. After falling behind, 3-0, by the midpoint of the game, the Badgers mounted a furious comeback. Outshot 9-7 after one period, the Badgers held advantages of 17-9 and 14-4 over the final two periods, ending the game with a 40-20 edge in shots. Junior Kerry Weiland scored a power-play goal late in the second period to draw within 3-1. The defender scored again late in the third period to make it a 3-2 contest, but the Badgers never got the tying score.
STREAK BUSTERS: Wisconsin served notice to the rest of college hockey when it broke the two longest unbeaten streaks in WCHA history during the past season. On Jan. 6, 2002, in Duluth, Minn., the Badgers defeated previously undefeated Minnesota-Duluth with a 3-1 win. The Bulldogs were 13-0-3 at the time and were in the midst of a 23-game unbeaten string dating back Feb. 17, 2001. Wisconsin would go on to sweep UMD and hand the Bulldogs their first-ever home sweep.
On Feb. 16, the Badgers struck again. Wisconsin traveled to Minneapolis and snapped Minnesota's 24-game unbeaten streak with a 2-0 win over the Gophers. The loss at home was the first for Minnesota since Oct. 22, 2000, a span of 30 games. The home shutout loss was the first since Dec. 4, 1999 for the Gophers, a 45-game stretch.
DEFENSIVE: At the end of the regular season, Wisconsin led the nation with a 1.41 goals against per game average. They finished the entire season with the second-rated defense, averaging 1.46 goals against per game.
The Badger defense was also offensive with four Badger defenders in top 10 for WCHA scoring. Frosh Carla MacLeod was third with 25 points, Sis Paulsen was tied for fourth with 23 points, Kerry Weiland was sixth with 22 points and Molly Engstrom finished tied for 10th with 15 points.
SHUTOUTS: Nine of Wisconsin's 22 victories came in the form of shutouts. The Badgers shutout then-No. 10 Ohio State and Minnesota State three times, while also blanking then-No. 1 Minnesota, Boston College and Findlay. Wisconsin went over four games in one stretch, a span of 261 minutes, 35 seconds, without allowing a goal against.
ALL-AMERICANS: Junior assistant captain Kerry Weiland and sophomore Meghan Hunter were rewarded for the second-consecutive season as JOFA/American Hockey Coaches Association All-Americans.
Weiland was named First-Team All-American as a defender, the first Badger to reach such acclaim in the three-year history of Wisconsin women's hockey. She was a second-team selection as a sophomore. Hunter was named a Second-Team All-American forward for the second year. Weiland and Hunter were two of just four repeat selections on the team.
The Badgers had the second-most representatives on the squads and the most of any team in the WCHA.
ALL-WCHA: Three Badgers were selected to All-WCHA teams. Junior defender Kerry Weiland and sophomore forward Meghan Hunter made the first team for the second-straight season. Junior goaltender Jackie MacMillan earned her second All-WCHA honor with her pick as Second-Team All-WCHA.
ACADEMIC ALL-WCHA: Ten Badgers qualified for the WCHA All-Academic Team, second most in the league. Named to the squad were juniors Kendra Antony, Kelly Kegley, Jackie MacMillan, Julia Ortenzio, Sis Paulsen, Melanie Schmitt, Kerry Weiland, and sophomores Stephanie Boeckmann, Kathryn Greaves and Stephanie Millar.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: A pair of Wisconsin defenders, junior Kerry Weiland and frosh Carla MacLeod, helped the Badgers to a runner-up finish at the WCHA Women 's Final Five and were honored for their performances. Weiland scored both Wisconsin goals in the championship game against Minnesota, while MacLeod set up three of the UW's four goals in the semifinal win over eventual NCAA champion Minnesota-Duluth.
ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT: Junior Kerry Weiland became the first women 's hockey Badger to make the Verizon Academic All-District team when she made the first team of the spring at-large squad. The first-team All-American is a legal studies major with a 3.52 grade-point average.
SCORING LEADER: A torrid second-half of the season brought sophomore Meghan Hunter to the top of the UW scoring chart. The center collected 45 points on a team-leading 23 goals and 22 assists. Junior Kendra Antony ranked second with 39 points. Hunter also led the team with 11 power-play goals, seven game-winning goals and 119 shots.
100 POINTS: The first three Badgers in program history broke the 100-point career plateau during the season. The first was junior forward Kendra Antony, who currently leads all career scorers with 134 points. Antony reached 100 points on Oct. 13, in her 72nd career game. Her third-period assist against St. Cloud State gave her the mark. Sophomore Meghan Hunter became the second member of the club with her assist against Findlay on Jan. 13 in her 53rd career tilt. Junior Kerry Weiland became the first defender and third person overall, to reach the milestone. Weiland's 100th point came at Boston College. Her third point of the contest, on an assist, put her at the mark in her 92nd game.
50 WINS: Junior goaltender Jackie MacMillan became the first Badger goaltender to record 50 career wins when she made 15 saves to shutout then-No. 10 Ohio State in a 3-0 victory on Feb. 23. The milestone was reached in her 80th career decision. For the season, MacMillan won all 22 games for Wisconsin, the first season a UW goaltender reached 20 wins.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: The Badgers were recognized seven times during the season for individual performances and twice by U.S. College Hockey Online. Four players were named WCHA Players of the Week including Kendra Antony, Sis Paulsen, Jackie MacMillan and Meghan Hunter (twice). Two Badgers were also selected WCHA Rookies of the Week. Junior Kathy Devereaux and frosh Molly Engstrom were so honored. Goaltender Jackie MacMillan was twice recognized as the U.S. College Hockey Online National Defensive Player of the Week.
POLLS: Preseason No. 4, according to the USA Today/American Hockey Magazine Poll, Wisconsin reached the No. 4 ranking in the U.S. College Hockey Online Poll during the season. The four-rating was the highest in history for the UW women. The Badgers finished ranked seventh in both polls. The Badgers also finished the season No. 7 in the pairwise rankings.
TEAM AWARDS: The Badgers held their postseason banquet on May 4 and recognized some of their student-athletes with various awards. Junior Kendra Antony was named the offensive player of the year, while junior Kerry Weiland and frosh Carla MacLeod were named co-defensive players of the year. The Badger Award given for the team's most inspirational player went to junior Kathy Devereaux, while the W Club Award for community service recognized sophomore Kathryn Greaves. The newly created Jeff Sauer Award, given to the player demonstrating dedication to the team, coaches and sport of hockey went to junior defender Sis Paulsen.
