MADISON, Wis. --Â A crowd of 14,361 at the Kohl Center were on the edge of their seats all game during a top-10 showdown between the No. 2 Wisconsin women's hockey team and No. 6 Ohio State as Abby Roque scored late in the third period to force a 1-1 tie with the Buckeyes.Â
Wisconsin (26-4-2, 16-4-2-1 WCHA) picked up a critical point in the league standings as Britta Curl scored in 3-on-3 OT to bring the crowd to its feet.Â
The Buckeyes (18-9-5, 11-7-4-2 WCHA) initiated a 1-0 lead as fast as they hit the ice sliding one past the Badgers' post just three minutes in.
After a scoreless and heated second, UW battled OSU for equal possession earning several attempts to score but couldn't quite put one behind Buckeye netminder Andrea Braendli.
As the clock was winding down, Roque received a down-ice pass from senior
Presley Norby and went top shelf on her own rebound to tie the game up with 9:14 left in the third.Â
The 1-1 deadlock sent UW and OSU into double overtime.
Sophomore
Britta Curl ended 3-on-3 OT with a bang as she netted the final goal of the night on a pass from juniors
Daryl Watts and
Natalie Buchbinder to earn the Badgers their first WCHA extra point of the season.Â
Senior netminder
Kristen Campbell earned 21 saves while UW outshot OSU 41-22.Â
Three notes of the game:
- Badger fans filled the Kohl Center with 14,361 fans, which ranks second in NCAA women's hockey history behind the 2017 Fill the Bowl, which had a crowd of 15,359. UW now owns seven of the top-10 attendance marks in NCAA women's hockey history.Â
- Abby Roque has earned her keep this weekend scoring the two game goals for the Badgers against the Buckeyes. The senior holds ninth place in school history with 165 points, and her 53 goals tie her for 15th place with Jackie (Friesen) Crum and Angie (Keseley) Johnson.Â
- Sophie Shirley attempted the first UW penalty shot in the second period since Feb. 20, 2016Â when Annie Pankowski scored on Minnesota netminder Amanda Levielle.Â
Straight from the Rink:
UW Head Coach Mark Johnson
On the game:
"We had to dig down and create chances. I told the team after the game that that was a really gutty effort. Being on that big ice sheet on the second day, we put a lot of energy into it. It's nice to see everybody go home with a smile on their face."
On playing at the Kohl Center:
"I told them before the game that they should enjoy the smoke coming out, the flag spread out - just have a great time with it because we don't get these too often. But, when they drop the puck, it's business.
"They're probably not in the place to appreciate this quite yet. Once they walk away, get four or five years away from this and look back to check some pictures or videos - they'll realize how lucky they were. Very few players in our sport get to experience what these kids did this weekend, it's very cool."
Senior alternate captain Abby Roque
On scoring her goal:
"I had a two-on-one right before it, and I definitely should have hit Sophie Shirley on the stick. I hit her right on the skate, and after that I was like, you've got to make up for something there because that would have been a goal if I would have just hit her right in the tape.
On the atmosphere:
"Coming out, you look at the fans, that was amazing, the lights, everybody screaming. They've got the "Get Loud" on the jumbotron, and you just feel the energy through the stands, and I think that really changed the momentum. Even after my goal, I know the fans were going crazy, and I think that gets to Ohio State and deflates them. I think that's a big help for us -- the fans that we have here in Wisconsin for our hockey program."
Sophomore forward Britta Curl
On Ohio State scoring early:
"Obviously we didn't want to repeat yesterday. I think this is a really hard team to come back against. I know in the locker room we were trying to say, "we're tired of people saying we can't play from behind, so let's go out there, and let's prove people wrong. Let's just be a gritty team that's not going to quit.
On momentum moving forward:
"You can do everything right and control things you can control, and sometimes it's still not enough, and it's frustrating. So, I think when Abby scored that goal everyone kind of let out a sigh. Okay, now we can play free, we don't have to worry so much, we can just keep on our game."
Up Next:
The Badgers wrap up their regular season at Minnesota Duluth on Friday and Sunday. Puck drop is at 7:07 p.m. CT Friday while Sunday's series finale is at 2:07 p.m. CT. Fans can catch the action at FloHockey (subscription) or via @BadgerWHockey Twitter.
