The perfect bounce: Channell and Badgers ready when opportunity knocked
March 17, 2017 | Women's Hockey, Andy Baggot
Calm, composed Wisconsin capitalizes on late lone goal to earn long-awaited trip to NCAA final
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BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
"I make sure my phone's on airplane mode as soon as I get to the rink," she said.
Friends and family were fussing over Channell after the senior defenseman propelled the top-ranked Badgers into the NCAA championship game.
Her goal with 17 seconds left in regulation time gave UW a white-knuckled 1-0 semifinal triumph over Boston College at The Family Arena.
BADGERS ARE GOING TO THE 'SHIP!!!
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerWHockey) March 17, 2017
Wisconsin (33-2-4 overall) will face Clarkson in pursuit of its fifth national title on Sunday at 2 p.m.
For a good 45 minutes after the Badgers reached their first NCAA Frozen Four final since 2012, Channell had no access to the world of Twitter and Snapchat.
First she had to endure a press conference alongside UW coach Mark Johnson and senior goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens.
No sooner did Channell emerge from that get-together than she was hustled to a nearby ante room as one of five players randomly chosen for an NCAA-mandated drug test.
Nearly 20 minutes later, Channell returned to the UW dressing room, retrieved her phone, turned it on and began to count the number of reach-outs.
At first blush there were 23 texts messages, 16 communiques via Snapchat and two Twitter notifications.
There were missives from proud academic advisors like Tracey Maloney. There were ones from former teammates like Courtney Burke and Katy Harding. There were congrats from UW men's basketball players Nigel Hayes and Jordan Hill.
Channell asked if she could give a shout-out to Hayes, a good friend, and his mother, Talaya Davis, for tweeting their acknowledgement.
Consider it done.
The #Badgers will take on Clarkson in the @NCAAIceHockey title game on Sunday on @BigTenNetwork!
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerWHockey) March 17, 2017
Channell's expression didn't change much throughout her postgame itinerary. She had a big smile framed by rosy cheeks and who could blame her?
The goal she scored from the left point — courtesy of a hunch by Johnson and a big offensive zone faceoff win by freshman center Abby Roque — finished off a sequence that began with 43 seconds left.
Johnson had Roque take the draw with the top line — junior Emily Clark typically centers the top unit — in part because Roque is a right-handed shot and because she'd played extremely well up to that point.
"A gut instinct," Johnson said of the move. "Clark did just come off (the ice) from a half a shift before that. You still have enough time that if you win the face off you can create something."
Roque did her part.
"She did a real good job the entire game," Johnson said, "so you give her an opportunity at the end to do something she's done well for almost 60 minutes."
Channell said she blacked out for the initial stage of the play, but correctly recalled that junior right winger Annie Pankowski fed her the puck for the biggest of her 11 career goals.
"I wasn't really aiming," Channell said. "I was just trying to hit the net to create a rebound or something, but it hit (perfectly) in the bottom corner.
"I guess it was a lucky shot."
The #Badgers are heading to the @NCAAIceHockey title game after @MellissaChan's clutch goal
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerWHockey) March 17, 2017
Maybe, but it sure packed a psychological wallop.
The Badgers had lost their last three Frozen Four appearances in the semifinals, so this was a major hurdle for Channell, Desbiens and the other four members of the senior class: right winger Mikayla Johnson, center and captain Sydney McKibbon, left winger Sarah Nurse and defenseman Jenny Ryan.
"I know all the seniors are in the locker room right now really excited," Channell said. "It will be fun to play on Sunday."
UW extended its unbeaten streak to 22 games (19-0-3) thanks in large part to a 22-save performance by Desbiens. Twelve of those denials came in the opening period when the Eagles (28-6-5) came out with their foot on the gas.
"BC played their best hockey in the beginning," Desbiens said. "They came out super-fast against us."
It was the 17th shutout of the season for Desbiens and extended her NCAA career record to 55.
Desbiens leads the nation with a 29-1-4 record, 0.67 goals-against average and .965 save ratio this season.
Her career record is 99-13-9 with a goals-against of 0.89 and a save percentage of .955.
That resume should make Desbiens the fifth Patty Kazmaier Award winner in Wisconsin history — as well as the third goaltender — when the winner is announced Saturday morning.
After her 10th playoff shutout and second straight in the NCAA tournament, Desbiens said the early surge by BC made her lock in right from the start.
The fact that Katie Burt (35 saves) was playing brilliantly at the other end helped Desbiens raise her game.
"As a goalie, it's definitely nice to have a lot of shots and to be involved. That's something you look forward to," she said.
"Those low-scoring games definitely challenge you more. You need to stay focused because you never know who's going to get the bounce."
The Badgers got it thanks to Channell, who has three conversions in 35 outings this season.
"I don't score much," she said.
#BADGERS GOAL! CHANNELL FROM THE POINT WITH 16 SECONDS REMAINING IN REGULATION!!!
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerWHockey) March 17, 2017
Once UW escaped the first period without allowing a goal, it steadily found a rhythm.
"We grew as the game went on as a team," Desbiens said. "We stayed composed. We didn't panic or anything."
That's been a strength of the Badgers since the season began in September and it came to life in the final seconds of a hard-fought milestone.
"You just stay calm," Channell said. "Make sure you keep your emotions in check. You know one of those bounces is going to go your way by the end of the game."
