Wisconsin Badgers
University of Minnesota Duluth
No. 3 Wisconsin opens WCHA Final Face-Off against Minnesota Duluth
March 03, 2016 | Women's Hockey
Badgers and Bulldogs battle in semifinals at 2 p.m. on Saturday in Minneapolis
After sweeping Minnesota State in the first round of the WCHA playoffs, the top-seeded Badgers meet Minnesota Duluth in the semifinals of the 2016 WCHA Final Face-Off at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis. Faceoff for the Badgers' semifinal is set for 2:07 p.m., while Minnesota and North Dakota battle in the second semifinal at 5:07 p.m.Â
The two semifinal winners will meet on Sunday at 2:07 p.m. at Ridder Arena in the championship game that will air on Fox Sports North and the Fox Sports Wisconsin alternate channel
| Game 37 | #3 Wisconsin vs. Minnesota Duluth | |
| Date | Friday, March 5 | 2 p.m. (CT) |
| Location | Minneapolis, Minn. | Ridder Arena (3,400) |
| Tickets | Buy Now |
| Watch | WCHA.Com |Â Watch Live |
| Listen | The Mic 92.1 |Â Listen Live |
| Follow | Live Stats | @BadgerWHockey | Live Blog |
| Game Notes | Wisconsin | Minnesota Duluth |
Team Notes
The Badgers enter this weekend with a 32-3-1 record, marking the sixth time in UW history that the team has won 30 or more games in a season.Â
UW enters the weekend leading the country in scoring defense with a goals-against average of 0.72. UW has shutout its opponents in 20 of its 36 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 3.89 goals per contest.Â
The Badgers lead the NCAA in penalty killing with a .942 clip. UW has killed 98 of its 104 penalties, and has scored seven short-handed goals in 36 games.Â
The Badgers enter the weekend as the top seed in the tournament, winning the program's fifth WCHA regular season title on Feb. 14 after sweeping Minnesota State. The 2015-16 postseason marks the sixth-consecutive year Wisconsin has advanced to the WCHA Final Face-Off.
Player Notes
Annie Pankowski, a Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award top-10 finalist, leads the team with 21 goals and 34 assists for 55 points this season. Pankowski ranks eighth in the nation for points per game, averaging 1.53 points per contest. After scoring three points against MSU on Feb. 14, Pankowski became the first Badger to record 50 points in a season since Brianna Decker in 2012-13.
Sophomore Emily Clark has notched 22 goals and 19 assists this season, averaging 1.21 points per game. She's tallied six game-winning goals this season, tied for fourth in the NCAA. Clark has 15 points in her last 11 games for UW.
Junior Sarah Nurse ranks seventh in the country for goals per game, averaging 0.72 goals per contest. Her 23 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 (.958) and goals-against average (0.77). Desbiens' 18 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 12 or more shutouts. Desbiens also has 35 career shutouts, which ranks second in program history and third in NCAA history
Junior Jenny Ryan ranks seventh in the country's defensemen in points per game, averaging 0.87 points per contest. Ryan's 30 points this season are a career high, coming from seven goals and 23 assists. She also has tallied three game-winning goals this season.
Senior Courtney Burke is third in the country in points among defensemen, averaging 0.89Â points per contest. Her 105Â career points are the third-most in program history among defensemen, as well as being tied for 19th among all players in program history.
18 - Junior goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens recorded her 18th shutout of the season on Saturday, breaking an NCAA men's and women's hockey record. Desbiens has shut out half of the Badgers' games this season, as well as shutting out 43 percent of her 81 career starts at Wisconsin.
Desbiens named Patty Kazmaier top-three finalist
After breaking the NCAA single-season shutout record last weekend, Wisconsin women's hockey goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens has been recognized for her historic season as one of the three finalists for the 2016 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, USA Hockey announced Thursday.
A La Malbaie, Quebec, native, Desbiens leads the nation with a 0.77 goals-against average, a .958 save percentage and 18 shutouts that are the most in NCAA Division I men's or women's hockey. Her goals-against average and save percentage numbers would be NCAA single-season records if the season concluded today.
"I'm certainly excited for her, her family and the program," UW head coach Mark Johnson said. "If you look at the body of work over the regular season and playoffs, her numbers this year are in a category we've never seen before.
"After having a historic season, it is great to see her recognized by the women's college hockey community."
"I am honored to be considered in the top three for this prestigious award," Desbiens said. "This season has been and still is awesome and I couldn't have accomplished what I have this year without my teammates, the staff, our fans and my family."
Last fall, Desbiens set an NCAA record with a scoreless streak of 543:33 over a span of 10 games, which included eight shutouts.
Desbiens has shut out the Badgers' opponent in 53 percent of her 34 starts, while holding opponents to one goal or less in 29 contests. Her 30 wins this season are the third-most in program history, and Desbiens needs only three to match the school record for victories in a season.
Learn more here.Â
Desbiens, Johnson lead Wisconsin WCHA award winners
After being named a top-three finalist for the 2016 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, Wisconsin women's hockey goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens continued receiving honors on Thursday, becoming only the second goaltender in WCHA history to be named the WCHA Player of the Year.
The junior wasn't the only Badger to take home hardware, as for the seventh time in his career, UW head coach Mark Johnson was named the WCHA Coach of the Year, while seven Badgers earned spots on All-WCHA teams.
Desbiens was joined on the All-WCHA First Team by sophomore forward Annie Pankowski and senior defenseman Courtney Burke. Sophomore forward Emily Clarkand junior defenseman Jenny Ryan were selected to the All-WCHA Second Team, while junior forward Sarah Nurse earned a spot on the All-WCHA Third Team. In addition, freshman forward Sam Cogan was one of seven rookies selected to the WCHA All-Rookie Team.
Learn more about the UW honorees here.Â
The Series vs. Minnesota Duluth
The Badgers lead the all-time series with UMD 38-29-12 and enter the weekend with a 14-game unbeaten streak against the Bulldogs.Â
The Badgers hold a 5-2-0 record against Minnesota Duluth on neutral ice.Â
In the WCHA playoffs, UW trails the series, 3-4, with the last meeting being a 3-1 loss to the Bulldogs in the 2012 WCHA Final Face-Off.Â
In all postseason contests against the Bulldogs, the series is tied 5-5.Â
In their previous 85 games, 23 contests between the Badgers and Bulldogs have gone into overtime, including three postseason games.
Last time vs. Minnesota Duluth: Wisconsin 3, Minnesota Duluth 1 (Jan. 10, 2016)
The No. 2 Wisconsin women's hockey team secured its 16th-consecutive home win, the longest streak in program history, Â trumping Minnesota Duluth 3-1 on Sunday in front of a sellout crowd at LaBahn Arena.
The Badgers extended their unbeaten streak against the Bulldogs to 14 games, the longest streak against an opponent, as sophomore Annie Pankowski and juniors Jenny Ryan and Sarah Nurse each collected a goal and an assist in the win.
UW goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens collected 21 saves in the win, improving to 18-1-1 this season.Â
Pankowski scored the only goal of the first period, skating into the slot and ripping the puck past Bulldog netminder Karissa Grapp for the 1-0 lead.
Wasting no time, Ryan and Nurse notched two goals in the first five minutes of play in the second period. Ryan snagged a pass from Nurse, one-timing a slapshot past Grapp for the two-goal lead on Wisconsin's first power play of the game.
Nurse collected her third goal of the weekend when she and freshman Sophia Shaver had a two-on-one opportunity in the UMD zone.
Shaver drew Grapp and a defenseman wide, then dished the puck to Nurse in front of a wide open net.
The Badgers outshot the Bulldogs 15-7 in the second period.
Minnesota Duluth would rally late in the third period, outshooting Wisconsin 9-8 in the final frame. A goal from UMD junior Sidney Morin came with just under five minutes left in regulation, but was too little, too late as the Bulldogs could not recover the two-goal deficit.
Last Time Out: Wisconsin 6, Minnesota State 0Â (Feb. 26, 2016)
In NCAA Division I men's or women's hockey, no goaltender has had more shutouts in a single season than Wisconsin women's hockey goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens, as the junior recorded her 18th shutout of the year as the No. 3 Badgers blanked Minnesota State, 6-0, on Saturday afternoon at LaBahn Arena.
Her record-breaking blank slate along with goals from six different Badgers helped UW advance to the WCHA Final Face-Off for a sixth-consecutive year.
Desbiens made 10 saves in front of a sell-out crowd at LaBahn Arena to break former Minnesota goaltender Noora Raty's record of 17 set during the 2012-13 season.
Desbiens continues to lead the nation with a 0.77 goals-against average and a .958 save percentage. The 2016 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Top-10 finalist has gone 30-3-1 in net for the Badgers this season. The team leads the country in defensive scoring, allowing only 0.72 goals per contest this season.
Wisconsin (32-3-1) outshot Minnesota State (3-29-4) 41-10 through the game.
The Badgers wasted no time lighting the lamp, as Baylee Wellhausen put away a rebound to give Wisconsin a 1-0 lead early in the first period. Later, with less than 10 seconds remaining in the frame, Sydney McKibbon would slam home a loose puck to widen the lead to 2-0.
The Badgers killed off three penalties in the second stanza, continuing to lead the nation's penalty kill with a .942 clip.
Junior Mellissa Channell tabbed her second goal of the weekend midway through the second period on a rocket from the blue line for the Badgers' third goal of the game.
Wisconsin put the game out of reach in the final period, as Emily Clark, Annie Pankowski, and Jenny Ryan each registered goals by the five-minute mark for a lead of 6-0. Ryan's power-play goal marked her 30th point of the season, ranking fourth among the nation's defensemen.
Pankowski scored a team-high three points during the game, raising her career total to 98 points.
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.
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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
Since 2006, the Badgers have had 14 top-10 finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, the highest individual honor in women's hockey, including this year's finalists Ann-Renée Desbiens and Annie Pankowski.
The Quest for 400
Wisconsin head coach Mark Johnson enters this weekend with a 392-74-35Â record in his 13 years on the UW bench. His 392Â wins are the third-most in NCAA Division I women's hockey history.
Johnson is only eight 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).
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.
Home, Sweet Home
At LaBahn Arena, the Badgers are tough to beat, as UW is 63-10-3 (.848) at the new barn. The Badgers have outscored their opponents 276-73Â at LaBahn Arena, and have posted 33Â shutouts.
In 20 home games this year, the Badgers have outscored their opposition 85-9 at LaBahn Arena. 11 of those 20 games have had sellout crowds, a program record.
