Taking On The 'Dogs: Badgers Travel To Duluth
December 02, 2003 | Women's Hockey
The Wisconsin women's hockey team, now 11-3-0 overall and 7-3-0 (.700) in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, returns to league play this weekend with a road series at fourth-ranked Minnesota-Duluth.
The Badgers drop the puck against the three-time defending NCAA champion Bulldogs this Friday and Saturday at 7:05 p.m. Full recaps will be available on uwbadgers.com.
Please note: This story information is also available in the UW women's hockey weekly release for Dec. 1 available by clicking "news releases and archives" in the right column of this Web page.
SEVEN STRAIGHT WINS: BADGERS SWEEP HUSKIES AT THE NEST
Prior to the Badgers' bye this past weekend, sixth-ranked Wisconsin earned a two-game series sweep against St. Cloud State with a 4-0 shutout and a 8-1 win at the Eagle's Nest in Verona, Wis., Nov. 21-22.
UW sophomore Nikki Burish, a Madison native, led the Badgers in scoring against the Huskies with two goals and two assists. She was named the WCHA 's Offensive Player of the Week for her four-point performance.
Additionally, the sweep move UW to within one point of first-place Minnesota in the league standings and the Badgers gained a No. 5 ranking in the Nov. 25 USA Today/American Hockey Magazine national poll.
THIS WEEKEND'S SERIES: SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
The Badgers will close out the first half of their season with this weekend's series at Duluth, finishing 16 of their 32 regular-season contests.
Predicted to finish second overall in the WCHA preseason coaches ' poll, Minnesota-Duluth split a non-conference match-up with second-ranked Dartmouth this past weekend, handing the Big Green its first loss of the season. However, the Bulldogs suffered two losses to Minnesota State, Oct. 10-11.
Forwards Caroline Ouellette and Jenny Potter lead UMD in scoring with 9-15=24 and 12-10=22 respectively, while the Bulldogs have looked to frosh Riitta Schaublin of Basel, Switzerland to lead them in net. Schaublin owns a 5-2-0 overall record this season and 1.95 GAA and .925 save percentage. She is 2-1-0 in the WCHA.
BATTLING THE TRIPLE CHAMPS
With 18 games between these two teams, Wisconsin has beaten Minnesota-Duluth just five times and holds a 5-10-3 all-time record against UMD.
The Badgers finished 1-2-1 against the Bulldogs last season with a 3-3 tie on Oct. 26 and a 2-1 win on Jan. 17.
Current Badgers Meghan Hunter and Molly Engstrom scored a goal a piece to secure the lone win against the `Dogs and the two teams did not meet in last season's WCHA Final Five.
WE'VE GOT A THREE-WAY TIE
With 14 games behind them, three Badgers are now tied for first on the team in scoring.
Senior Karen Rickard and sophomore Nikki Burish have each posted six goals and five assists for 11 points, while senior assistant captain Steph Millar has tallied four goals and seven assists for her own 11- point mark.
Wisconsin's sharpshooters aren't alone at the top though. Three other Badgers - Meghan Hunter, Molly Engstrom and Sara Bauer - are closing in on the lead with 10 points each so far this season.
EVERY POINT'S A RECORD NOW
With her two goals against St. Cloud State, senior assistant captain Meghan Hunter improved her career scoring totals to 78 goals and 81 asssists for 159 points as a Badger.
That 159-point mark ties former Badger Kendra Antony's school scoring record set last season and now Hunter just needs one point to set the bar and start establishing her own record to break in the UW history books.
GOALTENDERS AMONG THE CONFERENCE LEADERS
Now with nine wins between them this season, Wisconsin goaltenders Meghan Horras and Christine Dufour are leaders in the WCHA stats.
After blanking St. Cloud State 4-0, Horras' 1.40 GAA moved her up to first in the WCHA ahead of Minnesota's Jody Horak with a 1.43, while Dufour isn't far behind at third with her own average of 1.44 goals against.
Additionally, Dufour, a frosh from Quebec, is second only to Minnesota's Horak (.944) in winning percentage with .875 in eight games.
NATIONAL TEAM BADGERS
Five members of the 2003'04 Wisconsin women's hockey roster played for the U.S. and Canadian Under-22 National Teams this past July in a three-game exhibition series that the Americans won 2-0-1.
Junior Molly Engstrom skated for Team U.S.A., while juniors Jackie Friesen and Carla MacLeod joined frosh Meaghan Mikkelson and Bobbi-Jo Slusar on Team Canada.
UW's team captain this season, MacLeod also captained her U-22 teammates and was recently named to Canada's Four Nations Cup team, the first step in being selected to her country's national senior women's team.
Senior Meghan Hunter (Canada U-22) and junior Nicole Uliasz (U.S. Senior and U-22) also earned national team experience in the 2001'02 season.
