BY AJ HARRISON
UW Athletic Communications

MADISON, Wis. — As the WCHA regular season winds down, the series get tougher for the No. 1 Badgers as UW welcomes No. 2 Minnesota Duluth to LaBahn Arena.

The Badgers are coming off of a sweep at Bemidji State, as UW earned a 6-1 victory in the series opener before earning a hard-fought 4-2 win on Saturday. UW trailed in the first period for the first time all year on Saturday before scoring four goals in the final two periods to come away with the win.

"I think the Bemidji State series was a challenge for us and we stepped up and were able to get it done," senior defenseman Jenny Ryan said. "Ultimately we got the sweep, which is what we wanted and battled until the final whistle."

This weekend's series against UMD, which is sold out, marks UW's final regular-season home series. Wisconsin will honor its six seniors prior to Sunday's noon game.

"I'm excited for the weekend, but knowing that it's our last regular-season weekend at the LaBahn is sad," senior Sarah Nurse said. "This has been our home for the past four years and I've been so fortunate to play in front of the best fans in the country week in and week out.

"I'm going to have some family in the stands and I can't wait to share the weekend with them and the rest of the class."

"It's a hard reality to face knowing that my time at LaBahn is coming to an end," Ryan said. "But instead of thinking of it as a last, I'm just trying to think of it as one more opportunity to play in front of an amazing crowd with my teammates and best friends. It will be emotional, but I am so grateful to share it with this group of players and this fan base.

"I plan on really soaking in this weekend and enjoying every second with my senior class and all of the people who have helped me and the team succeed."

UW's final regular season home series vs. the Bulldogs marks the second time this year the top two teams in the NCAA have played in Madison as No. 1 Wisconsin met then-No. 2 Minnesota in December.

The Bulldogs are one of only two teams to beat the Badgers this year, as the teams split their series earlier this season in Duluth.

"Minnesota Duluth gave us a great battle earlier on and I'm expecting no different this weekend," Nurse said. "They have some talented forwards and a pretty good goalie, so this weekend we're going to have to focus on capitalizing on our opportunities and having good habits in the defensive zone."

The matchup against the Bulldogs also starts a tough stretch for UW. Following the top-two showdown in Madison, the Badgers will head to Minnesota to take on the No. 5 Golden Gophers.

"I think playing this weekend against Duluth and going up to Minneapolis next weekend really puts us in a great position heading into the playoffs," UW head coach Mark Johnson said.