Game One Coverage
Friday, Sept. 27 | 7:10 pm CT — Maryland Heights, Mo.
Game Two Coverage
Saturday, Sept. 28 | 1 pm CT — Maryland Heights, Mo.
MADISON, Wis. -- After winning the program's fifth national title, the No. 1 Wisconsin women's hockey team opens its 2019-20 season with an road series at Lindenwood.
Puck drop is set for Friday, Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. at the Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights, Missouri.
1. WE'RE NO. 1: Fresh off its fifth NCAA title, the Wisconsin women's hockey team is pegged to not only win its eighth WCHA regular-season title but its checked in at No. 1 for both the USCHO.com Women's Hockey Poll and the USA Hockey Magazine Poll.
Senior forward Abby Roque tied for the Preseason WCHA Player of the Year title through the league's annual preseason coaches poll. Roque was one of four Badgers named to the Preseason All-WCHA Preseason Team along with 2019 WCHA Goaltender of the Year Kristen Campbell, 2019 WCHA Rookie of the Year Sophie Shirley and 2019 first-team All-WCHA selection Mekenzie Steffen.
As reigning NCAA champions, UW secured all 15 first-place votes in the USCHO.com poll to overtake Minnesota, who sit at No. 2 this year. The Border Battle rivals will face off at an away series on Nov. 2-3 in Minnesota.
2. AGAINST THE LIONS: The Badgers have dominated the Lions since 2011 with an impressive 15-0-0 all-time record, outscoring them 93-15 in those victories.
Wisconsin swept Lindenwood in the teams' opening two-game series at LaBahn Arena last fall, winning 3-2 and 6-0.
Sophomore forward Sophie Shirley found the net to take UW's first goal of the season and her first-ever collegiate goal in last year's opener, while senior goaltender Kristen Campbell took her first of 11 shutouts for the season in the second matchup.
3. STARTING STRONG: UW is 16-3-1 in its previous 20 season-opening games and the Badgers are undefeated in their last nine season-openers (8-0-1). UW also is a perfect 5-0-0 in season-opening games against Lindenwood.
Wisconsin holds a 19-0-1 record all-time in September, outscoring its opponents 109-14 during the ninth-month of the year.
4. IT'S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA: Current and former Badgers took to the ice earlier this month at the Hockey Canada National Women's Team Fall Festival in Liverpool, Nova Scotia.
Saskatchewan native Sophie Shirley and Manitoba native Kristen Campbell were invited to join the week-long camp, as well as five former Badgers: Emily Clark (2015-19, Saskatchewan), Ann-Renée Desbiens (2013-17, Quebec), Meaghan Mikkelson (2003-07, Alberta), Sarah Nurse (2013-17, Ontario) and Blayre Turnbull (2011-15, Nova Scotia).
Shirley was one of 10 players who played a three-game series against the United States in Lake Placid, New York, for Canada's National Women's Development Team in August.
5. BORN TO BE A BADGER: New faces hit the ice this season as Wisconsin adds six new players to its roster.
Freshman forward Dara Greig, an Alberta native, suited up for Team Canada's U-18 summer series in 2017. Meanwhile, Saskatchewan native and freshman Grace Shirley joins her sister Sophie on the Badgers' forward lineup after being a crucial member of Team Canada's gold-medal squad at the 2019 IIHF U-18 World Championships.
Defensemen Chayla Edwards from Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Teagan Grant from Ontario and Katie Kotlowski from Warroad, Minnesota also join the freshman lineup this season. Grant takes a share in the gold-medal victory from Team Canada's 2019 IIHF U-18 World Championships.
Rounding off the crew is transfer junior and forward Daryl Watts who is coming off two seasons at Boston College. The Toronto native had an impressive freshman campaign winning the 2018 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award as the national player of the year, the first-ever underclassman to win the award.
