MINNEAPOLIS — Behind a shutout from WCHA Player of the Year Ann-Renée Desbiens and a four-goal flurry in the second period, the No. 3 Wisconsin women's hockey team will play in the WCHA Final Face-Off championship after defeating Minnesota Duluth, 5-0, on Saturday at Ridder Arena.

The shutout marks Desbiens' 19th blank slate of the season, extending the NCAA record she broke last weekend. One of three finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, Desbiens continues to lead the nation with a 0.75 goals-against average and a .959 save percentage.

"If you had asked me at the beginning of the year, I didn't think that was possible," Desbiens said of her performance in net this year. "It's seriously just amazing. Everything that everyone in front of me has been doing, it's amazing."

Wisconsin (33-3-1) saw goals from five different players, outshooting Minnesota Duluth (15-21-1) 43-17. It marks the 21st time the Badgers have taken 40 or more shots in a contest this season.

The Badgers capitalized on rebounds let up by UMD goaltender Kayla Black early, as freshman Mikaela Gardner notched her first goal since Oct. 11, 2015 as she charged the net and put away a loose puck to give UW the 1-0 lead at the 7:34 mark of the frame.

UW tallied the game's first 10 shots on goal, and didn't allow a UMD shot to reach Desbiens until the 12 minute mark of the period.

In the second period, Wisconsin wasted no time as senior captain Courtney Burke doubled her team's lead just 21 seconds into the second stanza. Burke cut into the slot and redirected a pass right past Black for her 10th goal of the year.

The teams would battle for the next 14 minutes scoreless, until sophomore Annie Pankowski forced a UMD turnover and sniped a loose puck over Black's shoulder to take the 3-0 lead. The goal marks Pankowski's 56th point of the season, and her 99th career point. Pankowski needs one more point to become the 21st player in program history to reach 100 career points.

"Certainly pleased with our efforts this afternoon, especially in the second period," UW head coach Mark Johnson said of his squad. "I think [Burke's goal] put Minnesota Duluth on their heels to start the period and then we just built off that and played very well."

Senior Kim Drake would tally a goal next, skating deep into the UMD zone and shooting the puck into the crease, where it rattled off Black's skate and into the goal to make the score 4-0.

Capping off the scoring with 19 seconds remaining in the frame, Sarah Nurse tallied her team-leading 24th goal of the season to secure the 5-0 victory. Sydney McKibbon tied up UMD's center, allowing Nurse to quickly shoot the puck over Black.

"I think we loosened up a little bit," Pankowski said of the offensive charge in the second frame. "I think when you get a chance to play a playoff game, it is away from home and it's not in our home atmosphere, it feels a little different. Once we were able to take a breath and loosen up on our sticks a little and just play our game, we got a lot better."

The teams fought to a scoreless third period thanks to big saves from both Black and Desbiens.

Despite serving three penalties during the contest, the Badgers remained dominant, continuing to lead the nation's penalty kill with a .943 clip.

"What I like is the team is still hungry. They're practicing hard, they're preparing, and they're doing the necessary things," Johnson said. "When the regular season finished, they were crowned WCHA champs, but that didn't hold them back. They got excited to play in the playoffs, to come up here and get a chance to play for another trophy.

"They've worked their way and put themselves in a position to play in Sunday's game, which I think everybody on the squad and the coaching staff are excited about."

With the victory, the Badgers advance to the WCHA Final Face-off championship to defend their 2015 WCHA playoff title. The championship matchup is set for a 2 p.m. tilt and can be seen on Fox Sports North and the Fox Sports Wisconsin alternate channel. The game will also be broadcasted in the Madison area on 1310 WIBA AM.