Game One Coverage
Saturday, Nov. 2 | 2:07 p.m. - Minneapolis
Game Two Coverage
Sunday, Nov. 3 | 2:07 p.m. - Minneapolis
MINNEAPOLIS – The No. 1 Wisconsin women's hockey team will take on Border Battle rival Minnesota, ranked No. 2 in the country, in a highly anticipated weekend series in Minneapolis Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 2-3.
Puck drop is set for 2:07 p.m. CT both days, and the games can be seen live on the Big Ten Network Plus. The series can also be heard live in the Madison area on 1310 WIBA AM Saturday and 100.9 FM Sunday or on the iHeart Radio app.
1. BESTING THE BEAVERS: The Badgers are coming off of a sweep of Bemidji State, earning a pair of 4-1 wins at LaBahn Arena last weekend.
The wins lead Wisconsin to enter this weekend with a 24-game unbeaten streak and a 17-game winning streak.
Seven different Badgers scored in the sweep, while sophomore
Sophie Shirley scored a pair of goals during the home weekend, one an empty-netter in the final minute of Saturday's game.
2. SHIRLEY IT'S A STREAK: Sophie Shirley, the 2019 WCHA Rookie of the Year, enters this weekend with a five-game goal streak.
The Saskatoon native leads the NCAA in goals with 10 while her 23 points this year rank second in the NCAA behind only junior
Daryl Watts at 28 points. Shirley is already more than halfway to her point total from last year of 38 points, and she's halfway to her goal total of 20 from a year ago.
She also took away her first career hat-trick at LIU Oct. 19, the first one for the Badgers this year.
3. PENALTY KILLERS: Wisconsin's penalty kill has been stellar so far, as UW has killed its last 28 penalties dating back to Sept. 28, 2019 including the nine against Bemidji State last weekend. The Badgers rank sixth in the country in PK percentage and has allowed a power-play goal in only one of its ten games this year.
On the flip side, Wisconsin leads the country in power-play percentage (.487) and power-play goals (19). UW is only 10 power-play goals away from matching its total during the 2018-19 season.
4. ROQUE AND ROLL: Senior
Abby Roque has 21 points through 10 games for the Badgers after tapping in a rebound for the opening goal at Sunday's game.
Her four power-play goals rank second in the country while her 139 faceoff wins lead the country. She also ranks second nationally in plus/minus with a +16 rating.
Roque currently ranks 16th in school history in scoring with 133 points. In addition, her 94 assists rank No. 8 in program history as she looks to become only the eighth Badger to record 100 career assists.
5. AGAINST THE GOPHERS: This weekend will be the first meeting between the two Border Battle rivals since the 2019 NCAA Championship game, a contest UW won 2-0 to claim the program's fifth national title.
Former seniors
Sophia Shaver and
Annie Pankowski tallied the winning goals for Wisconsin.
Minnesota isn't unfamiliar to the title game either, as the Golden Gophers have won four of the last eight national championships (2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016).
Despite trailing the overall series, the Badgers have won nine of the last 12 meetings with the Golden Gophers, including two matchups in the NCAA tournament and a game in the WCHA Final Faceoff.
