Game Coverage
Friday, March 16 | 7 pm — Ridder Arena
MADISON, Wis. – After blanking No. 5 Minnesota in an NCAA quarterfinal at LaBahn Arena, the No. 2 Wisconsin women's hockey team will take on No. 3 Colgate in the semifinals of the 2018 NCAA Frozen Four in Minneapolis on Friday. Puck drop at Ridder Arena is set for 7 p.m. CT and can be seen live on Big Ten Network. Fans can also listen to the game in the Madison area on 1310 WIBA.
The winner of UW/Colgate will take on the winner of Clarkson/Ohio State on Sunday in the NCAA title game at 2 p.m.
Limited tickets are available on GopherSports.com while Wisconsin fans that are traveling to Minneapolis can attend several fan events during the weekend.
1. DANCING SHOES: Wisconsin will make its 11th appearance at the NCAA Frozen Four on Friday, which ranks second in NCAA history. This year's showing in the Big Dance also marks UW's fifth-straight appearance at the NCAA Frozen Four, which not only is the longest active streak in the NCAA, but is the longest streak in program history.
The rest of the 2018 NCAA Frozen Four has six appearances combined as Clarkson has made the Frozen Four four times, while Colgate and Ohio State are making their debuts.
2. BAYLEE'S BARN: Senior Baylee Wellhausen has made herself at home this year at Ridder Arena, as the co-captain has scored five or her 10 goals at Minnesota's home barn. Wellhausen scored twice in UW's historic sweep of Minnesota at Ridder Arena on Oct. 28-29, including the overtime game-winning goal in the series finale. At the WCHA Final Faceoff, Wellhausen potted her second collegiate hat trick to lead the Badgers to a 4-1 win over Bemidji State in the semifinal round.
3. TALE OF THE TAPE: There's a lot of similarities between the Badgers and Raiders as Wisconsin and Colgate are two of four teams in the country this year to win 30 or more games. Both teams are extremely balanced as UW has nine skaters with 20 or more points while CU has 10 skaters with more than 20 points.
Friday's matchup marks the first time Wisconsin and Colgate have met, but the two programs had six common opponents this year in in Mercyhurst, St. Cloud State, Syracuse, Northeastern, Minnesota Duluth and Cornell. The Badgers and Raiders went undefeated against the Lakers, SCSU Huskies and Orange, while Colgate had a better record against Northeastern. The Badgers went undefeated against UMD and swept their series at Cornell, while Colgate dropped games to both teams.
4. ROQUE AND ROLL: Abby Roque made NCAA tournament history on Saturday by scoring two goals in 16 seconds in the second period of UW's 4-0 win over Minnesota. It marked the fastest consecutive goals scored by a player or team in NCAA tournament play.
The WCHA Offensive Player of the Year, Roque leads the Badgers with 40 points on 11 goals and 29 assists, while her +29 plus/minus rating is tied for the second-best mark in the league.
5. SOUPY'S SHUTOUT SUCCESS Despite seeing only 12 shots against Minnesota, sophomore goaltender Kristen Campbell had to make a couple of stellar stops against the Golden Gophers en route to her NCAA-leading 12th shutout of the year. Her 12 shutouts are the fifth-most in program history, and she's one of only three UW goaltenders to collect double-digit shutouts in a single season. The other two goaltenders with at least 10 shutouts in a single season – Olympians Jessie Vetter and Ann-Renee Desbiens.
