Number of the week
0.50 - The No. 1-ranked Badgers have allowed an average of 0.50 goals per game in their 18 games this season. Wisconsin has 11 shutouts in 18 games played and ha sallowed only five goals in 12 league games.

The Series vs. North Dakota

Last time vs. North Dakota: Wisconsin 4, North Dakota 1 (March. 7, 2015)
For the first time since the 2010-11 season, the No. 3 Wisconsin women's hockey team advanced to the WCHA Final Face-Off championship game, led by its sophomore class in a 4-1 victory over No. 8 North Dakota on Saturday night at the Ralph Engelstad Arena.

Three different sophomores lit the lamp for the Badgers (27-6-4), including Sarah Nurse, who tallied two third-period strikes, a power-play goal and an empty-net goal, to seal UW's win over North Dakota (22-12-3). Classmates Mellissa Channell and Sydney McKibbon also scored in the first and second periods, respectively.

Wisconsin was outshot for only the third time this season, as UND had 27 shots on goal compared to UW's 26, but the Badgers made the most of their scoring chances.

Channell put UW on the board early in the first period for a 1-0 lead. Channell followed a rush from UW forwards and pounced on a loose puck in the offensive zone. She launched a laser from the top of the left circle that blew past UND defenders and First-Team All-WCHA goaltender Shelby Amsley-Benzie and into the right side of the goal.

McKibbon added a goal in the second to give the Badgers a 2-0 lead. There haven't been many open spaces in Amsley-Benzie's net this year, but McKibbon's wrister from the top of the circle squeaked through the UND goaltender's pads and found its way to the back of the net.

Nurse's power-play goal came nearly eight minutes into the final period. The UW power play unit worked the puck around, leading to a powerful Jenny Ryan shot from the point that Nurse redirected into the top left corner of the goal, beating the UND netminder cleanly.

Nurse had several opportunities in the matchup, as she led UW with seven shots on goal, but ultimately the final tally of the game came just one minute and 14 seconds after North Dakota broke the shutout with an extra attacker late in the third period. Nurse was then able to end the threat, bury the puck on the empty net, and seal the Badgers' victory.

Sophomore netminder Ann-Renee Desbiens stopped 26 of the 27 shots she faced to improve to 24-6-4 on the season

Last Time Out: Wisconsin 3, Minnesota 1 (Dec. 5, 2015)
Fueled by a pair of Annie Pankowski goals, the top-ranked Wisconsin women's hockey bested No. 3 Minnesota, 3-1, on Saturday in front of a sell-out crowd at LaBahn Arena to complete a sweep of its Border Battle rivals.

With the win, Wisconsin (18-0-0, 12-0-0-0 WCHA) swept the Gophers (15-3-0, 11-3-0-0 WCHA) for the first time since the 2009-2010 season. UW's 18-game winning streak is the second-longest in program history, and tied for the third-longest in WCHA records.

After the teams battles in a scoreless start, Pankowski's first score came with less than four minutes remaining in the first frame. Sophomore Lauren Williams blocked a shot taken from the Minnesota point, then cleared the loose puck up to Pankowski, who skated in on Gopher netminder Amanda Leveille and put the backhand shot right over her shoulder. The goal extended Pankowski's point streak to 21 games, the fifth-longest in UW history.

The first period offense was fairly even for both teams, as UW tallied seven shots on net, while the Maroon and Gold marked nine shots.

Pankowski's 14th goal of the season came late in the second stanza, when she skated to the top of the circles and sniped the puck past four Maroon jerseys and into the net.

The Gophers had one power play opportunity in the second period, but were unable to solve the UW penalty kill, which continues to lead the NCAA with a .980 clip.

Midway through the final period, freshman Sarah Potomak scored Minnesota's only goal of the game, tapping in a loose puck that Desbiens thought she had a hold of to bring the game within one.

In the final minutes, Minnesota pulled Leveille for an extra attacker, but Desbiens made numerous impossible saves to keep the Badgers' lead.

With the Gopher net empty, Nurse chipped the puck past the defensemen, then skated the loose puck down and scored to give the Badgers their insurance goal.

Desbiens collected seven saves in the final period, for a game total of 23 saves. The win marked Desbiens's 53rd victory between the pipes, the fourth-most of any Badger.

Channell Named to Canada's National Development Team
Hockey Canada announced Wednesday that Wisconsin women's hockey junior Mellissa Channell earned a spot on Canada's National Women's Development Team that will compete at the 2016 Nations Cup.

Channell is one of seven defensemen on the 22- player roster that will seek to defend its gold medal from last year's Nations Cup.

The Nations Cup, formerly known as the Air Canada Cup, MLP Cup and Meco Cup, brings together Canada's National Women's Development Team and national teams from Finland, Germany, Russia, Sweden and Switzerland for a four-day international tournament, Jan. 4-7, in Füssen, Germany.

Channell has appeared in 13 games this season for the Badgers and is currently tied for the team lead in blocks with 16.  The Oakville, Ontario native has one goal and nine assists for UW this season.