WCHA Battle Ramps Up: #4 Wisconsin at #1 UMD
December 08, 2005 | Women's Hockey
The No. 4 Wisconsin women's hockey team will play one last series of the calendar year, Dec. 9-10. On the road to Duluth, Minn., the Badgers will contend with the top-ranked Minnesota Duluth team in one of the biggest series of the season for both teams. Wisconsin is entering the series with a record of 14-2-0 overall and 11-1-0 in the WCHA. UMD (14-2-0, 12-2-0 WCHA) is coming off a sweep against Minnesota State, which helped them clinch their No.1 spot in the nation for the first time since the 2003-04 season.
The outcome of these games will have a real impact on where each team shakes out in the regular season conference standings come March. Interestingly, the teams will have both series out of the way before the university break and will not meet again until the WCHA play-offs.
The meeting between two of the highly-ranked teams should prove to be a tough test in every part of the game. Wisconsin, who was ranked No. 1 earlier this season, when the team first met, will be looking to overtake the Bulldogs and improve in the national ranks as well as the conference standings. The Bulldogs will be focusing on shutting down the Badgers who have lost only one game since encountering them in the first game of the season. Also on the line is a point of pride for the Bulldogs, a 10-game winning streak on their home ice this season.
Overall, the Badgers have a 10-16-4 all-time record against UMD. In Mark Johnson 's tenure, the team is 6-8-2. The last time the teams met, the series was split at the Kohl Center, Oct. 8-9 with a 5-2 Badger loss followed by an intense 4-3 overtime win. Sara Bauer notched the game-winner just 53 seconds into the overtime period. Wisconsin 's Sharon Cole, Cyndy Kenyon, Erika Lawler, and Bobbi-Jo Slusar also scored on the Bulldogs this season.
Both UW and the Bulldogs come into this weekend's play with identical overall records of 14-2-0. This is not the only category posing similarities between the two teams, as the conference rivals are almost equal in all comparisons.
On the offensive side, both of the squads have at least three leading scorers with over 20 points. Wisconsin is led by Bauer with 31, while the Bulldogs Noemie Marin has recorded 26. The Badgers and Bulldogs have almost equal goals per game averages with Wisconsin at 4.56 and UMD at 4.50. The cardinal and white have taken an average of 36.4 shots per game while the maroon and gold average 34.3.
Even the teams' power play and penalty kill figures are strikingly similar. UW has connected on 22/95 power plays averaging .232 and Duluth is 22/106 averaging .208. As for penalty kills, the Badgers are 57/69 with a .826 rating, while the Bulldogs are 99/106 at .934.
The similarities remain apparent on the defensive side of the ice. Wisconsin has allowed only 20.8 shots per game compared to Duluth's 25.2. As for goals allowed per game, UW averages 1.62 and Duluth 1.31. Badger goalies Meghan Horras and Christine Dufour each have a save percentage above .920. UMD's goalie Ritta Schaublin has a save percentage of .951.
Considering all angles of the upcoming WCHA ice war, the Badgers and Bulldogs both have their hands full this weekend.
The games will be played at 7:07 p.m. both Friday and Saturday night at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center in Duluth, Minn. A live web radio broadcast of local Duluth station, KDAL and WDSM .
