MADISON, Wis. – The third-ranked Wisconsin women's hockey team opens its 24th season of play this Thursday and Friday with a series at No. 14 Penn State. Puck drop on Thursday and Friday at Pegula Ice Arena is set for 6 p.m. CT and fans can watch the action on B1G+.
1. PRESEASON PREDICTIONS: 2022 Olympian
Caroline Harvey opened her UW career with an honor before hitting the ice as the freshman was named the WCHA Preseason Rookie of the Year. The blue liner from Salem, New Hampshire, became the seventh Badger to earn the preseason accolade. UW was picked to finish third in the WCHA as UW earned 42 votes, while reigning league champion Minnesota collected 44 and Ohio State picked up 43. The Badgers, Gophers and Buckeyes are also in the top-three in both national polls as Wisconsin is No. 2 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine National Poll and No. 3 in the USCHO.Com Poll. Â Â
2. OH CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN: The Badgers announced last week that senior forward
Britta Curl will serve as the Badgers' captain this season. It marks the second time that the Bismarck, North Dakota, native has been a part of the UW leadership squad as she also was an alternate captain on UW's 2021 NCAA championship team. Senior defenders
Natalie Buchbinder and
Nicole LaMantia will serve as alternate captains as will junior forward
Casey O'Brien.
3. AGAINST PENN STATE: This marks the Badgers first-ever trip to Penn State and only the second series between the two Big Ten rivals. The Badgers swept Penn State at LaBahn Arena during the 2019-20 season, defeating PSU 7-0 on Oct. 4 before earning a 3-0 triumph on Oct. 5. UW is no stranger to playing in Pennsylvania with a 15-0 record, including a 3-0 record during the 2021 NCAA Tournament en route to claiming the program's sixth NCAA title.
4. STELLAR IN SEPTEMBER: Wisconsin has shined in September with a 23-0-1 record, including a road sweep last year against Lindenwood. UW has outscored its opponents 144-18 in the ninth month of the year with shutouts in 13 of its 24 previous contests. In addition, the Badgers are 18-4-1 in its previous 23 season-opening games.
5. NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK: The Badgers welcome a pair of Olympians to their roster this season in grad transfer
Jesse Compher and freshman
Caroline Harvey. A second-team All-American at Boston University, Compher posted 127 points in 109 games for the Terriers while Harvey was named to the Media All-Star Team at the 2022 IIHF Women's World Championship earlier this month. Joining Harvey and Compher as newcomers on the UW squad this year are
Chloe Baker,
Laila Edwards,
Claire Enright,
Vivian Jungels and
Kirsten Simms. Edwards, Enright and Simms all skated for the U.S. at the 2022 IIHF Under-18 Women's World Championship in June at LaBahn Arena and Edwards was named the MVP of the tournament.
