Nov. 13, 2009

Box Score | Box Score

MADISON, Wis.- Sophomore Brooke Ammerman (River Vale, N.J.) scored four goals to fuel Wisconsin’s 6-2 victory over Wayne State in the second game of the series Friday afternoon at the Kohl Center.

After sitting out three games due to injury, junior Malee Windmeier (Champlin, Minn.) returned to the rink, along with freshman Brianna Decker (Dousman, Wis.), who made her first appearance since suffering an injury against Ohio State on Oct. 3.

Despite it only being her third game as a Badger, Decker did not hesitate to make her mark on the ice.

Just 42 seconds into the contest, Decker intercepted a Wayne State pass and knocked the puck forward to Ammerman. From outside the right face-off circle, Ammerman skated the puck to slot and five-holed Wayne State’s goaltender, Lindsey Park, to find the back of the net.

At the 5:16 mark, the Warriors answered when Katrina Protopapas capitalized on a deflection off of teammate Jill Szandzik’s shot to tie the score at 1-1. Julie Ingratta notched the secondary assist for Wayne State.

With 4:28 left in the first period, junior Malee Windmeier scored Wisconsin’s first shorthanded goal of the season when she intercepted a pass at the red line, faked out a Warrior defender and poked the puck past Park to give the Badgers a 2-1 lead.

On the power play, Ammerman scored her second goal of the contest with 5:08 left in the second frame. From the right circle, freshman Stefanie McKeough (Carlsbad Springs, Ontario) took a shot and Ammerman used a deflection to make the score 3-1.

In the third period, Decker added a goal and Ammerman recorded back-to-back goals to solidify the 6-2 victory and give the Badgers the 1-0-1 series advantage.

With the skater-advantage, Decker scored the eventual game-winner when she received a pass from Pacholok, skated the puck past both blue lines and took a wrist shot from the high slot to make the score 4-1 at the 11:35 mark.

The fans weren’t the only ones that were happy to see Decker back on the ice.

“[Brianna] Decker is a special player,” Interim head coach Tracey DeKeyser said. “You can see just by the way she has vision on the ice, and she’s got a pretty unbelievable snap-shot that’s very precise. That’s how she scored those goals. I’m excited to have her back. I know the team is very excited.”

Following a goal by Wayne State’s Julie Ingratta with 5:56 left in the contest, Ammerman capped off her hat trick. Junior Mallory Deluce (London, Ontario) took a shot from the crease and Ammerman took advantage of the rebound to give the Badgers the 5-2 lead. Pacholok recorded the secondary assist.

Ammerman closed out her impressive showing by scoring with just eight seconds remaining. Pacholok took a shot while falling and the puck bounced around in the slot. Freshman Breann Frykas (St. Paul, Manitoba) got a stick on the puck, but it was Ammerman who eventually found the back of the net to complete the 6-2 victory. The goal marked the Badgers highest scoring game so far this season.

After a 2-2 draw yesterday, DeKeyser was pleased to see the Badgers have the breakout offensive game she knows they are capable of having.

“Some days you get them, some days you don’t. So yesterday was a clear example and today it was black and white,” DeKeyser said. “I think we also played better in the offensive zone. We were a little bit more dynamic.”

Ammerman not only extended her point streak to nine games, Friday’s contest marks the second time she scored four goals, to tie her career high. She also scored four goals on October 18, 2008, when UW defeated Syracuse 8-0.

Wisconsin kept the pressure on the Warriors, outshooting Wayne State 38-20.

Senior Alannah McCready (Blaine, Minn.) finished with 18 saves in net for Wisconsin and Wayne State’s Lindsey Park finished with 32.

The Badgers went 2-for-5 on the power play, the most goals they’ve scored with a skater-advantage this season. Wayne State finished 1-for-5 on the power play.

After an eight game homestand, Wisconsin hits the road from Nov. 20-21 to face the St. Cloud State Huskies at the National Hockey Arena.

Allison Metcalf, Wisconsin Athletic Communications