Women's Hockey

Postgame Quotes: Wisconsin vs. Minnesota State

Postgame quotes from coaches and players

Women's Hockey

Postgame Quotes: Wisconsin vs. Minnesota State

Postgame quotes from coaches and players

Head coach Mark Johnson
On scoring five goals today:
"It was nice to have a few practices with the group instead of mixing and matching pairs but they played pretty well out there. A couple power plays they got mixed up a little bit but it was a good start to finish game. We had a couple power play goals and it started to feel like normal hockey again after playing over there with two physical games last weekend.
 
On the offensive machine the Badgers displayed:
"Puck movement, I don't know how many penalties there were but there were quite a few penalties, a couple incidental penalties that takes the rhythm out of it but Annie's first goal was a big goal to make it 2-0. Then she had a short-hander, so good puck movement, good opportunities and we did a good job of defending shots, you just can't get frustrated. That's what we talked about, just keep doing what you're doing and on a breakaway you're going to get a bounce and the puck will go in.
 
On why the power play has been so good recently:
"The puck has gone in. Overall, again you look at different power plays, some might be for the full two minutes, some might be 30 seconds. But we had it 2-0 today and then you get a power play, that's when you want it to work, to go from two to three (goals). We didn't capitalize in that situation. Some power plays are a little bit more crucial than others the way I look at them. When you need them and the opportunity is there, that's when you really want to get the puck in the net."
 
On dominating play tonight:
"The last three games, it's been different hockey. You know we went over to the Kohl Center to play on the bigger ice sheet and in front of the bigger crowd and we came back last week and played two physical games. You never know what is going to happen or what kind of game it's going to be and what the referees are going to be like. Tonight we got a little bit more run, a little bit more flow and spent quite a bit of time in the offensive zone. If you take care of the puck in the middle of the ice, those things are going to happen."
 
On Annie Pankowski producing:
"She got her first goal in Minnesota-Duluth early on after we talked about going a number of games without it, it just relaxed her and created opportunities. She's been a goal scorer for a long time and with a little bit of confidence, you've seen what has happened."
 
On breaking up Mellissa Channell and Jenny Ryan:
"Maddie Rowe stepped in and did a great job. She looked comfortable, I know she's a big body out there and she's got a long stick. For a young player she protects the puck really well. We talked about getting to the net and that middle person going hard, and she jumped up there and got rewarded by scoring a goal. Kudos to her for coming out and playing a real solid game."

Junior Annie Pankowski:
On the depth of scoring balance:
"It's really exciting when it doesn't matter who's on the ice but we're always a scoring threat. I think that's a huge thing for our team to give everyone an opportunity to play in these games and feel that kind of situation and produce."
 
On coming off such a physical series last weekend and playing a new style this weekend:
"It definitely brings out the more creative side of the game, but it also adds an element of they were a lot better with their sticks. So trying to find those passes, we ran into a little trouble hitting skates instead of sticks. So that gave us a little bit of momentum towards the end, we had the mentality of 'get to the net' and get to the net with the puck instead of our bodies. It was just a different game to play."
 
On if there were any nerves about the defensive pairings being mixed up:
"It's hard when you lose a player like Mellissa Channell, but our defensive core has responded great. Even playing against them in practice, they're really hard to play against and they make our lives hard as forwards. As a forward, I didn't think twice about that rotation back there because I had all the confidence in them."
 
On younger players getting the chance to play in bigger roles:
"It's exciting. Kids like Maddie Rowe get a chance and I thought she played great tonight, she's so smart with the puck and same with Steffen, she's been solid for us all year. So it gives confidence for our forwards as well that our D are going to make the plays they need to."
 
On the power play clicking better in the second-half:
"We talked about it as a group and set a goal for ourselves at 20 percent, and I think we're pretty high above that for the second half. We put that in our mind as 'this is what we need to get better' and I think this group has done it."
 
On if she feels that she's making up in scoring for her slow start:
"I wouldn't say making up, but it's funny how the game works. It humbles you. Em (Clark) and I joke about it all the time when we score, like 'remember that one time we went nine games without a goal?'. So it's kind of a joke now."
 
On how it feels to edge closer to postseason play:
"Everyone's really excited. You look around at where the rankings are and who's stepping up in the leagues that we don't get to play against, so it's kind of an exciting draw. That time of year for everyone is really exciting and to play games like this and show that we have a lot of depth and a lot of creativity and everyone's dangerous, it's huge for this team."

Defenseman Mekenzie Steffen
On getting the game-winning goal:
"Going into it I didn't really expect to get a game-winning goal but we had a power play and I got a great pass from Sarah and I just put it in. It was really exciting! We were all kind of surprised, it was really fun."
 
On the shifting defense pairs and how that played out:
"It was obviously a big change. We had a good week of practice though. We worked a lot with our new d-partners. I though we looked really good out there for the big change that happened. We obviously miss Channell a lot but I think a lot of nice players stepped in tonight and really proved that they can step in and play in big situations. It shows how much depth we have as a team."
 
On the defense getting two goals:
"It was awesome! I thought we played really good as a D core."
  
On the freshman class producing:
"I think we were kind of expected to come in and be a big part of this team as a freshman class. As the year's gone on we've really proved ourselves and really fit into this team and just keep producing and it's awesome."
 
On the power play and its new life:
"We work on it a lot at practice and I think it's really paying off. We've been capitalizing on our chances a lot more, getting a lot more pucks to the net. Practice makes perfect and we're really showing that out there. We did have a couple switches with our power play and I think we finally found what works and who works good where and it looks really good right now."
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Players Mentioned

Mellissa Channell

#2 Mellissa Channell

Defense
5' 4"
Senior
L
Annie Pankowski

#19 Annie Pankowski

Forward
5' 9"
Junior
R
Jenny Ryan

#5 Jenny Ryan

Defense
5' 4"
Senior
R
Maddie Rowe

#8 Maddie Rowe

Defense
5' 11"
Freshman
R
Mekenzie Steffen

#22 Mekenzie Steffen

Defense
5' 6"
Freshman
R

Players Mentioned

Mellissa Channell

#2 Mellissa Channell

5' 4"
Senior
L
Defense
Annie Pankowski

#19 Annie Pankowski

5' 9"
Junior
R
Forward
Jenny Ryan

#5 Jenny Ryan

5' 4"
Senior
R
Defense
Maddie Rowe

#8 Maddie Rowe

5' 11"
Freshman
R
Defense
Mekenzie Steffen

#22 Mekenzie Steffen

5' 6"
Freshman
R
Defense