The No. 2 Wisconsin women's hockey heads east for the first time this season to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes, in Columbus, Ohio. Faceoff on Friday is set for 6 p.m. (CT), while Saturday's contest starts at 3 p.m.
Team Notes
UW enters the weekend leading the country in scoring defense with a goals-against average of 0.57. The Cardinal and White also ranks fourth in the country scoring offense averaging 3.96 goals per contest.
The Badgers lead the NCAA in penalty killing with a .949 clip. UW has killed 74 of its 78 penalties, and has scored seven short-handed goals in 28 games. Last season, UW set the NCAA record for penalty killing with a .958 clip.
After sweeping North Dakota, Wisconsin clinched home ice for the first round of the WCHA Playoffs by securing a top-four finish in the league.
Player Notes
Annie Pankowski leads the team with 27 assists and 44 points this season. After scoring a goal and an assist last weekend, Pankowski eclipsed her 43 total points scored during her rookie campaign. Pankowski ranks eighth in the nation for points per game, averaging 1.57 points per contest, while her three short-handed goals are tied for secon in the nation.
Sophomore Emily Clark has notched 18 goals and 15 assists this season, averaging 1.27 points per game. She's tallied five game-winning goals this season, tied with Nurse for third in the NCAA. Clark has seven points in her last three games for UW.
Junior Sarah Nurse ranks sixth in the country for goals per game, averaging 0.83 goals per contest. Her 20 goals lead all Badgers, as well as ranking third all-WCHA. The Hamilton, Ontario, native also ranks third nationally in game-winning goals with five.
Ann-Renée Desbiens leads the nation in save percentage (.966), goals-against average (0.62), and wins (24). She also holds the country's lead in shutouts with 14. Last season the La Malbaie, Quebec, native tied a UW record with 14 shutouts. Desbiens also has 31 career shutouts, which ranks third in program history and third in NCAA history.
Junior Jenny Ryan ranks third in the country's defensemen in points per game, averaging 0.96 points per contest. Ryan's 27 points this season are a career high, coming from five goals and 22 assists. She also has tallied three game-winning goals this season.
Senior Courtney Burke is sixth in the country in points among defensemen, averaging 0.89 points per contest. Her 98 career points are the third-most in program history among defensemen. Burke is two points away from becoming the third blue-liner in school history to reach 100 career points.
Number of the week16 -Â So far this season, the Badgers have recorded 16 shutouts in 28 games, leading the NCAA. Wisconsin has also only allowed 16 goals all season, leading the nation's scoring defense with a 0.57 goals-against per game average.
The Series vs. Ohio StateThe Badgers lead the all-time series with the Buckeyes 58-10-3.
In Columbus, UW leads the all-time series 24-4-2.
The Badgers blanked the Buckeyes back on Oct. 10-11 at LaBahn Arena. UW earned a 7-0 win on Oct. 10 before coming away with an 8-0 win on Oct. 11.
Last time vs. Ohio State: Wisconsin 8, Ohio State 0 (Oct. 11, 2015)
Sophomore Emily Clark scored twice while junior netminder Ann-Renee Desbiens stopped all 19 shots she faced to lead the No. 3 Wisconsin women's hockey team to a 8-0 win over Ohio State at LaBahn Arena.
Clark ended the game with three points off her two goals and an assist, while linemate Annie Pankowski also collected three points of a goal and two assists.
A native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Clark found the back of the net just 30 seconds into the game after receiving a pass from Jenny Ryan to give the Badgers (an early 1-0 lead over Ohio State.
Around the four minute mark, Pankowski drove across the slot and popped a backhand shot into the top shelf. The unassisted score gave UW a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission.
Wisconsin outshot the Buckeyes 23-6 during the frame, including seven power play shots. Ohio State took four penalties in the first period, but the Cardinal and White were unable to capitalize on the advantages.
The Badgers wasted no time in the second, scoring three more goals before the period's halfway point. Sydney McKibbon received a cross-ice pass from Sarah Nurse while speeding into the offensive zone, where her shot bounced off the post, off Lamere's pad, and into the net just 78 seconds into the period.
Nurse tallied the fourth Badger goal, finishing a string of passes between herself, McKibbon, and Sam Cogan with a shot that Lamere didn't see until it was in the back of the net.
Three minutes later, freshman Mikaela Gardner scored her first collegiate goal to put the Badgers up 5-0, taking a shot on OSU goaltender Selena Hunter and charging to the net to collect her own rebound.
In similar fashion, Ryan went deep into the OSU zone near the 15 minute mark of the period and stuffed a loose rebound past Hunter for the 6-0 lead.
Wisconsin finished the period with 28 shots on net, which is tied for the third most shots in a period.
Clark lit the lamp again halfway through period three, taking a pass from Maddie Rolfes in the neutral zone all the way to the net, pushing between the entire line of Buckeyes for the score.
Proving that a game isn't over until it's over, Mikayla Johnson took a pass from Molly Doner and slammed the one-timer past Hunter with 9.7 seconds remaining in the game to complete the 8-0 win.
Wisconsin's 61 shots on net marks the third time in less than a year that the Badgers have posted more than 60 shots on net in a game, and ranks seventh in the record books for shots taken in a game.
Last Time Out: Wisconsin 3, St. Cloud State 0Â (Jan. 31, 2016)
Behind two goals from Emily Clark and Ann-Renee Desbiens' 14th shutout of the year, the No. 2 Wisconsin women's hockey team earned its 20th-consecutive home win on Sunday, topping St. Cloud, 3-0, at LaBahn Arena.
Desbiens tied the school record for shutouts in a season, making 13 saves to  earn her 24th win of the season for the Badgers (26-1-1, 20-1-1-1 WCHA).
The La Malbaie, Quebec, native now has 31 career shutouts, passing former UW netminder Alex Rigsby and former New Hampshire goaltender Melissa Bourdon for third on the NCAA all-time list.
Only Minnesota's Noora Raty (43) and UW legend Jessie Vetter (39) have more career shutouts than Desbiens.
This season, Desbiens leads the nation with a .966 save percentage and a 0.62 goals-against average through her 26 games played. The Badgers also lead the nation's scoring defense, allowing only 0.57 goals per contest as UW has shutout its opposition in 16 of its 28 games this year.
Junior Sarah Nurse scored the game-winning goal for Wisconsin, while Clark notched two third-period insurance goals against the Huskies (11-13-3, 7-12-3-3 WCHA).
Both squads went scoreless through the first frame, despite Wisconsin outshooting the Huskies, 12-4, through 20 minutes.
Nurse's short-handed goal came five minutes into the second frame to give Wisconsin the 1-0 lead. Senior Rachel Jones was called for high sticking, but St. Cloud's player-advantage couldn't stop Nurse from skating the length of the ice and shooting a dagger over SCSU netminder Katie Fitzgerald's glove.
Nurse leads the Badgers with 20 goals, ranking sixth nationally in goals per game. Nurse is also tied for second nationally in short-handed goals with all three of her short-handed tallies coming against the Huskies.
The Badgers outshot St. Cloud 16-1 in the final frame, capitalizing on the wide shot margin with a pair of goals from Clark. Her first goal came after freshman Sam Cogan skated in and then dished a centering pass to Clark for an open shot to the net.
Clark's second opportunity came again from Cogan, but this time off of a rebound. Clark picked up the rebound from Cogan's initial shot, turned and fired on Fitzgerald to give the Badgers the 3-0 lead.
Sophomore Annie Pankowski also assisted both of the goals, her season point total now at 44 points from 17 goals and 27 assists. Last season, Pankowski tallied 43 points in her freshman campaign to be named the USCHO.Com Rookie of the Year.
Desbiens earns pair of weekly honors
After moving up the NCAA record books last weekend in the No. 2 Wisconsin women's hockey team's sweep of St. Cloud State, junior goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens was recognized not only as the WCHA Defensive Player of the Week, but the American Sports Network Player of the Week, the organizations announced Tuesday.
Desbiens earned her 13th and 14th shutouts of the year last weekend as the Badgers earned a pair of 3-0 wins over the Huskies. She stopped 15 shots on Saturday, before stopping all 13 of SCSU's shots on Sunday.
With Sunday's shutout, the junior moved into third place in NCAA history for career shutouts with 31 blank slates, passing former UW netminder Alex Rigsby and former New Hampshire goaltender Melissa Bourdon. Only Minnesota's Noora Raty (43) and UW legend Jessie Vetter (39) have more career shutouts than Desbiens.
The La Malbaie, Quebec, native also became the first goaltender in NCAA women's hockey history to record 14 or more shutouts in back-to-back seasons as her 28 shutouts the past two years are the most ever in a two-year span.
This season, Desbiens leads the nation with a .966 save percentage, a 0.62 goals-against average, 14 shutouts and 24 wins. Her 14 shutouts are tied for the most in program history.
Desbiens has now been honored by the WCHA five times this season as its defensive player of the week after earning four honors last year. She picked up her second career award from ASN after being named its player of the week on Nov. 3.
Koch recognized as AHCA Assistant Coach of the Year
Wisconsin women's hockey associate head coach Dan Koch was named the American Hockey Coaches Association Women's Hockey Assistant Coach of the Year, as announced by the group on Thursday.
A Madison native, Koch is in his fifth season as the Badgers' associate head coach after serving eight years as an assistant coach, amassing a 367-81-35 (.796) record behind the bench. Koch has assisted the Badgers to seven NCAA Frozen Fours and saw the team win three of their four national titles.
Koch oversees the stingy UW defense, which has ranked among the top-three teams nationally for scoring defense in 11 of his 12 seasons with the Badgers. That includes the 2006-07 squad that set the NCAA record with a 0.88 goals-against average. His defensemen have led the NCAA in scoring defense in three different seasons.
This season, Koch helped the Badgers set the NCAA men's and women's shutout record, tallying nine-consecutive shutouts that spanned over 624 minutes between Oct. 3 and Nov. 14. The Badgers have recorded shutouts in 12 of their 22 games this season and have a goals-against average of 0.64 to pace the country.
Koch also plays a part in the team's penalty kill, which has led the NCAA four of his 12 seasons. Last year, the UW penalty kill set the NCAA record with a .958 clip.
Koch will be recognized on April 29 during the 2016 AHCA Convention in Naples, Florida. Read more here.
Badgers sign seven for 2016-17 season
The Wisconsin women's hockey program and head coach Mark Johnson announced the signing of seven student-athletes for the 2016-17 season on Tuesday.
Joining the Badgers next fall are goaltenders Alyson Baldwin (Richmond, Texas) and Nicole Cece (Oakville, Ontario), forwards Alexis Mauermann (Janesville, Wisconsin), Presley Norby (Shorewood, Minnesota) and Abby Roque (Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan) and defensemen Maddie Rowe (River Falls, Wisconsin) and MeKenzie Steffen (Centerville, Minnesota).
"It's a big class," Johnson said. "It's probably one or two players bigger than what we normally have, but with eight seniors graduating we need to fill positions and bring kids in who are capable of playing next year and helping the team. In saying that, you look at the group and whether in net, on the blue line or up front, there's a lot of exciting players and kids who have experienced good things at their respective club and high school teams but also at the national and international level."
Between the seven players, five have represented their respective countries at international events, including Norby, who played earlier this month for the United States National Team at the 2015 Four Nations Cup, helping Team USA win gold.
Learn more about the class here.
Note of the Week
After her shutouts of St. Cloud State last weekend, Ann-Renée Desbiens became the first goaltender in NCAA women's hockey history to record 14 or more shutouts in back-to-back seasons. Her 28 shutouts the past two years are the most ever in a two-year span. Desbiens was named the WCHA Defensive Player of the week for her performance, and was also named the January WCHA Defensive Player of the Month.
The Quest for 400
Wisconsin head coach Mark Johnson enters this weekend with a 386-72-35Â record in his 13 years on the UW bench. His 386Â wins are the third-most in NCAA Division I women's hockey history.
The other three coaches to reach 350 wins at the NCAA Division I level are Katey Stone (Harvard), Michael Sisti (Mercyhurst) and Shannon Miller (Minnesota Duluth).
Johnson passed former UMD bench boss Shannon Miller for third on the NCAA list on Sunday with the team's 3-1 win over North Dakota.
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