For the third-straight year, the Wisconsin women's hockey team will face its biggest rival in the NCAA Frozen Four as the second-seeded Badgers meet third-seeded Minnesota in the semifinals of the 2016 NCAA Frozen Four in Durham, New Hampshire. Faceoff is set for 6 p.m. (CT) at the Whittemore Center Arena.

UW enters the weekend leading the country in scoring defense with a goals-against average of 0.67. UW has shutout its opponents in 23 of its 39 games this year and have allowed only 26 goals on the year.

The Cardinal and White also ranks fourth in the country scoring offense averaging 3.90 goals per contest. 

The Badgers lead the NCAA in penalty killing with a .947 clip. UW has killed 108 of its 114 penalties, and has scored eight short-handed goals in 39 games. 

The Badgers enter the weekend as the second seed in the NCAA tournament, winning the program's sixth WCHA playoff title on March 6, defeating Minnesota 1-0. The Badgers are 19-5 in their previous nine NCAA tournament appearances, winning national titles in 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2011.

Player Notes
Annie Pankowski, a Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award top-10 finalist, leads the team with 22 goals and 36 assists for 58 points this season. Pankowski ranks seventh in the nation for points per game, averaging 1.49 points per contest. After assisting the first goal of the Badgers' 6-0 win over Mercyhurst, Pankowski became the 21st UW player to record 100 career points.

Sophomore Emily Clark has notched 23 goals and 21 assists this season, averaging 1.19 points per game. She's tallied seven game-winning goals this season, tied for fourth in the NCAA. Clark has six points in UW's five postseason contests.

Junior Sarah Nurse ranks seventh in the country for goals per game, averaging 0.71 goals per contest. Her 25 goals lead all Badgers, as well as ranking third all-WCHA. The Hamilton, Ontario, native also ranks third nationally in shot-handed goals with three.

Ann-Renée Desbiens, a Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award top-three finalist, leads the nation in save percentage (.962) and goals-against average (0.71). Desbiens' 21 shutouts this season are the most in NCAA men's or women's hockey history. Desbiens is the only goalie in NCAA history to record back-to-back seasons of 14 or more shutouts. Desbiens also has 38 career shutouts, which ranks second in program history and third in NCAA history

Junior Jenny Ryan ranks sixth in the country's defensemen in points per game, averaging 0.82 points per contest. Ryan's 32 points this season are a career high, coming from eight goals and 24 assists. She also has tallied three game-winning goals this season.

Senior Courtney Burke is third in the country in points among defensemen, averaging 0.87 points per contest. Her 107 career points are the third-most in program history among defensemen, as well as being tied for 18th among all players in program history.

Junior Sydney McKibbon leads the Badgers this year with seven points in postseason play.

Number of the week
5 - Wisconsin has posted a shutout in all five of its postseason games this year, outscoring opponents 22-0 so far in the WCHA and NCAA playoffs.

The Series vs. Minnesota
Wisconsin trails the all-time series 29-46-9. This season, the Badgers and Gophers have met five times, with Wisconsin leading 3-2-0.

In neutral-site play, Wisconsin trails 3-5-0.

The last time the two teams met, the Badgers defeated Minnesota, 1-0, for the first time at Ridder Arena since March of 2011, to capture the WCHA Final Face-off title.

The Badgers will meet UM in the semifinal round of the NCAA tournament for the third consecutive time. Last season, Minnesota went on to win the NCAA title.

In the NCAA tournament, UW trails the series 3-2, as the Badgers took the first two meetings against the Gophers, defeating UM in the 2006 NCAA Championship, 3-0, before earning a 3-2 win on March 15, 2008 in the NCAA quarterfinal round.

Last time vs. Minnesota: Wisconsin 1, Minnesota 0 (March. 6, 2016)
Two weeks after suffering their first sweep of the year at No. 2 Minnesota, the No. 3 Wisconsin women's hockey team sought redemption on Sunday as the two Border Battle rivals squared off in the 2016 WCHA Final Face-Off championship contest at Ridder Arena.

The Badgers were up to the task as 2016 WCHA Player of the Year Ann-Renée Desbiens made a career-high 35 saves and Sydney McKibbon scored midway through the second to give UW a 1-0 victory. 

Sunday's triumph gave UW its second-straight WCHA playoff title and its sixth tournament crown in program history.

Wisconsin (34-3-1) was outshot 35-24 by Minnesota (32-4-1), but Desbiens stopped every Gopher attempt at net, including 27 saves in the final 40 minutes. A top-three finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, Desbiens leads the nation with a 0.73 goals-against average, and a .961 save percentage. The La Malbaie, Quebec, native added to her NCAA single-season record with her 20th shutout of the year.

McKibbon scored the deciding goal for the Badgers as the alternate captain paces the team with six postseason points off two goals and four assists.

McKibbon's performance earned her a place on the WCHA All-Tournament team, alongside Desbiens, senior captain Courtney Burke, and sophomore Emily Clark. Desbiens was also named the WCHA Final Face-Off's Most Outstanding Player after earning a pair of shutouts during the tournament.

Wisconsin allowed Minnesota to take only eight shots on goal in the first period, as both Desbiens and Minnesota goaltender Amanda Leveille held strong to keep the game scoreless thought the first frame.

Minnesota took charge of the second period, outshooting Wisconsin 13-7, but Desbiens made numerous big saves to keep her team in the game.

McKibbon's goal came at the 13:12 mark of the period, when line mate Rachel Jones shot the puck low on Leveille. McKibbon crashed in on the crease, knocking the puck loose and into the back of the net for the eventual game-winning tally.

The teams fought through a scoreless defensive battle in the final stanza, and Minnesota pulled Leveille for an extra attacker in the final minute but could not capitalize. The Badgers' defense held off Dani Cameranesi and Hanna Brandt, who rank first and second respectively in WCHA scoring.

Desbiens made a game-high 14 saves in the third period, while her teammates blocked six of Minnesota's shot attempts.

The Wisconsin penalty kill, sporting an NCAA-leading .945 clip, held off the dominant Minnesota power play four times to keep a hold on the lead.

Last Time Out: Wisconsin 6, Mercyhurst 0 (March 12, 2016)
For the ninth time in 11 years, the Wisconsin women's hockey team is heading to the NCAA Frozen Four as the No. 2 Badgers blanked Mercyhurst, 6-0, in the NCAA quarterfinal round on Saturday in front of a sellout crowd at LaBahn Arena.

Junior netminder Ann-Renée Desbiens, a Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award top-three finalist, made 22 saves to earn her 21st shutout of the season, as Wisconsin (35-3-1) outshot the Lakers (19-11-5) 41-22 through the contest. Desbiens continues to lead the nation in goals-against average (0.71) and save percentage (.962). The La Malbaie, Quebec, native has earned blank slates in each of the Badgers' five postseason games this year.

Six Badgers had a multi-point showing, paced by junior Sarah Nurse's three points on a goal and two assists.

Saturday's win marked the 25th-straight win for the Badgers, as UW ends its home slate a perfect 21-0-0. Twelve of UW's 21 home games were sellouts, a program record.

Freshman Sam Cogan opened the Badgers' scoring, tipping in a shot midway through the first period for the game-winner and her 10th goal of the season.

Exactly five minutes later, Jenny Ryan would give Wisconsin the two-goal lead, sending a one-timed rocket from along the boards past Mercyhurst goaltender Sara McDonnell. Ryan became the 12th different Badger to record a goal in the first period of a game during the 2015-16 season.

Wisconsin tallied its eighth short-handed goal of the year in the second period, as Sydney McKibbon deked McDonnell after a textbook two-on-one play with Nurse. McKibbon leads the Badgers in postseason points, tallying three goals and four assists in playoff games.

UW's eight short-handers this season ranks second in the NCAA, and the Badger penalty kill continues to lead the country with a .947 clip.

Desbiens stopped nine shots in the second, including multiple high-quality chances.

Sophomore Emily Clark registered her 23rd goal of the season with four minutes remaining in the second stanza, putting a backhand shot past McDonnell during a four-on-four sequence for the 4-0 lead.

Nurse added a goal of her own in the third period, taking advantage of the Badgers' power play by positioning herself near McDonnell's net and slamming home a loose puck for the 5-0 lead.

Baylee Wellhausen would wrap up the scoring with less than two minutes to play, blowing past the MU defense and sniping a shot from the right face-off dot.

The Badgers will meet Minnesota for the third-straight year in the NCAA Frozen Four semifinals. The March 18 matchup will start at 6 p.m. (CT) in Durham, New Hampshire.

The semifinal meeting marks the sixth time this year the two Border Battle rivals will meet, as UW leads the season series, 3-2, after defeating Minnesota in the WCHA Final Face-Off title game last weekend in Minneapolis. 

Nine Badgers to Compete at World Championships
The International Ice Hockey Federation's Women's World Championships will have a Wisconsin flair, as nine current and former Badgers will compete for their home countries at the tournament.

Sophomore Emily Clark will join UW alums Blayre Turnbull and Meaghan Mikkelson on the Team Canada roster, while sophomore Annie Pankowski will compete for the United States alongside UW legends Hilary Knight, Brianna Decker, Meghan Duggan, Jessie Vetter, and Alex Rigsby.

The tournament will run from March 28 to April 4 in Kamloops, British Columbia. Team Canada and Team USA are set to square off on March 28 in semifinal play. Read about the Badgers on Team Canada and Team USA.

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 season 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
For the first time in program history, the Badgers completed a perfect home slate, going 21-0-0 at LaBahn Arena this year. Wisconsin has also sold out 12 games during the 2015-16 season, a program record. UW averaged 2,018 fans per contest this year.

The Quest for 400
Wisconsin head coach Mark Johnson enters this weekend with a 395-74-35 record in his 13 years on the UW bench. His 395 wins are the third-most in NCAA Division I women's hockey history.

Johnson is only five wins away from becoming the third NCAA Division I women's hockey coach ever to win 400 games.

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).