No. 1 Wisconsin meets Ohio State in Columbus
December 08, 2016 | Women's Hockey
Badgers and Buckeyes meet Friday and Saturday at the OSU Ice Rink
Top-ranked Wisconsin wraps up the 2016 calendar year with a trip to Columbus, Ohio, to take on the OSU Buckeyes. Faceoff on Friday is set for 5 p.m. (CT), while Saturday's contest begins at 2 p.m. (CT).
2016 has been a great year so far for the Badgers, as UW is 32-5-1 in games in 2016.
Following the OSU series, the Badgers will be off from competition until a non-conference series at Lindenwood on Jan. 6-7.
| Series 10 | #1 Wisconsin at Ohio State | |
| Date | Friday, December 9 | 5 p.m. (CT) Saturday, December 10 | 2 p.m. ( CT |
| Location | Columbus, Ohio | OSU Ice Rink |
| Live Video | Friday | Saturday |
| Follow | Live Stats | @BadgerWHockey |
| Game Notes | Wisconsin | Ohio State |
Team Notes
The Badgers boast the nation's second-ranked defense so far this season, as UW has allowed only 20 goals in its 18 games this year. UW has held opponents to one goal or less in 11 of its 18Â games this year.
UW boasts one of the nation's top offense with 66 goals scored this year. UW's offense is one of the most balanced in the NCAA, as 16 players have lit the lamp and seven players have four or more goals for UW.Â
The Badgers lead the NCAA in shots on goal per game, averaging 39.46 shots on goal per contest. UW ranks second in the country in shots on goal allowed, giving up an average of 18.17 shots on net per game.
Wisconsin leads the NCAA in home attendances, averaging 2,194 fans per home game. UW has enjoyed five sellouts this season.Â
The Badgers continue to hold the top spot in both national polls, as UW received 14 of a possible 15 first-place votes in this week's USCHO.Com Poll.
Player Notes
Senior Sarah Nurse ranks fourth in the NCAA with 15 goals scored this season. The senior alternate captain leads the Badgers with 23 points this season. Nurse currently ranks 10th in school history in career goals with 66.
Senior Ann-Renée Desbiens leads NCAA goaltenders in goals-against average with a 0.85 clip while her six shutouts this year ranks second in the country. The La Malbaie, Quebec, native also sports a .952 save percentage ranks third in the NCAA.
Senior Sydney McKibbon has 93 career points, and needs only seve more points to become the 23rd player in program history with 100 career points.
Junior Annie Pankowski has seven goals and six assists this year, with her seven goals coming in her last five games.
Number of the Week44 – Ann-Renée Desbiens enters the weekend with 44 career shutouts, passing Noora Raty for the most in NCAA history. Desbiens earned the record-breaking shutout on November 6th, when the Badgers blanked Bemidji State, 6-0.
Nurse and Roque earn WCHA weekly honors
After earning a historic win against No. 2 Minnesota on Sunday, Wisconsin women's hockey senior Sarah Nurse was named the WCHA Co-Offensive Player of the Week, while freshman Abby Roque was named the WCHA Rookie of the Week, the league announced Tuesday.
Nurse, who was also named the American Sports Network National Women's Hockey Player of the Week on Tuesday, became the first Badger ever to record a hat trick against the Golden Gophers on Sunday. The Hamilton, Ontario, native scored three goals in the first 22 minutes to propel No. 1 UW to an 8-2 triumph over Minnesota.
In addition, Nurse ended the game with four points, matching a career high she set earlier this year against North Dakota.
Nurse's three goals and four points were league highs during the week, while her 15 goals this season rank fourth nationally and second in the WCHA.
Roque recorded a highlight-reel assist in UW's 8-2 victory and was on the ice for five of Wisconsin's eight goals. Her +5 plus/minus rating was the best mark among all skaters in the league, while her .750 faceoff percentage led all players that took more than five faceoffs last weekend.
On the season, Roque has three goals and 10 assists while her 13 points are tied for the second most among WCHA rookies with fellow Badger freshman Presley Norby.
Six Badgers to attend USA Hockey camp
Current Wisconsin women's hockey players Annie Pankowski and Jenny Ryan, along with former Badgers Brianna Decker, Meghan Duggan, Hilary Knight and Alex Rigsby earned invites for the 2016 USA Hockey Women's Winter Training Camp, USA Hockey announced Tuesday.Â
The camp is set to take place Dec. 12-15 at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Michigan. It features 37 players, including 14 Olympians and 27 world champions
The camp will help USA Hockey select a team to compete in a two-game series against Canada on Dec. 17 and 19 and will be used to evaluate players heading into the 2017 IIHF World Championship in Plymouth, Michigan.
Learn more here.
Six Badgers to Appear on Canada National Teams in Upcoming Months
Six Wisconsin women's hockey players - three current, two former and one incoming freshman - were selected to represent Hockey Canada at upcoming events, the association announced Wednesday.
Junior Emily Clark, senior Ann-Renee Desbiens, former Badgers Meaghan Mikkelson and Blayre Turnbull and incoming freshman Sophie Shirley were selected to the 22-player roster that will compete for the Canadian National Women's Senior Team against the United States in a two-game series in December.
Clark, Mikkelson and Turnbull all helped Hockey Canada earn silver at the 2016 International Ice Hockey Federation Women's World Championship earlier this year, while Desbiens was a member of the Canadian side that earned silver at the 2015 World Championship. Shirley, who signed her letter of intent to play for UW last week, will make her senior team debut next month.
In addition, Clark and senior Sarah Nurse were selected to compete for Canada's National Women's Development Team at the 2017 Nations Cup in Germany and Austria, Jan. 4-7.
The Canadian National Women's Senior Team will play a home-and-home against the U.S. starting on Dec. 17 with a 3:30 p.m. CT contest in Plymouth, Michigan. That game can be seen live on NBSCN. The series wraps up on Dec. 19 with a 6 p.m. CT contest in Sarnia, Ontario.
Clark and Nurse look to regain gold at the 2017 Nations Cup, a tournament consisting of national teams from Austria, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Russia, Sweden and Switzerland for a four-day international tournament.
Prior to the Nations Cup, the Canadian National Women's Development Team will play an exhibition against Germany on Jan. 2.
Note of the Week
Sarah Nurse now has 66 career goals for Wisconsin, which ranks 10th in school history. Nurse needs one goal to move into a tie for ninth in program history with Kendra Antony.
In the News:
- UWBadgers.Com – Sunday statement: No. 1 Badgers blitz No. 2 Golden Gophers 8-2
- UWBadgers.Com – Six Badgers invited to 2016 USA Hockey Women's Winter Training Camp
- UWBadgers.Com – Nurse and Roque earn WCHA weekly honors
- Madison.Com – Sarah Nurse's hat trick spurs rout of Golden Gophers
- New York Times – Two Black Women Embrace Their Chance to Be Hockey Role Models
- UWBadgers.Com – In school, hockey, Pankowski puts her head down and gets to work
- Bucky's 5th Quarter – Badgers bury Minnesota 8-2
Wisconsin head coach Mark Johnson became the first coach in WCHA history to record 400 career wins in the Badgers sweep of Clarkson. Johnson is only the third coach in NCAA Division I women's hockey history to collect 400 career triumphs.
