Wisconsin Badgers
Lindenwood
Five Things to Know: No. 2/1 Badgers open season at home against Lindenwood
September 25, 2024 | Women's Hockey
Wisconsin takes on the Lions Friday and Saturday at LaBahn
MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin women's hockey team opens up their season with a two-game home series Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. against the Lindenwood Lions.
Tickets still remain for UW's home-opening series on UWBadgers.Com. Patrons coming to the games should note that parking is available in Lots 29 and 46 for $5 and ADA parking is available in Lot 48 and 87 for $5.
Fans that can't make it out can listen to the action on 1070 The Game as Paul Braun and Mark Greenhalgh will have the call from LaBahn Arena. Fans can also watch the action live on Big Ten Plus.
Here are five things to know about the games.
1. THE CAPTAIN CREW
The duo of Caroline Harvey and Casey O'Brien will co-captain the Badgers for the 2024-25 campaign, the fourth co-captains in program history and for the first time since 2020-21. Lacey Eden and Laila Edwards join Wisconsin's leadership team as alternate captains. Harvey is the first junior to captain the Badgers since Carla MacLeod led the Badgers 2003-04 season.
The Badgers leadership squad brings in a collective 12 years of collegiate ice hockey experience. Beyond college, Harvey brings Olympic experience winning silver at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. All four captains represented the U.S. at various levels.
2. WCHA PRAISE
Wisconsin earned several honors in WCHA preseason polling, including being ranked No. 1 with five first place votes ahead of reigning national champions No. 2 Ohio State. Junior Kristen Simms received WCHA Preseason Player of the Year honors. Simms is the second straight Badger to receive the award after Caroline Harvey received the honor last year. Harvey joins Simms in being selected for the preseason All-WCHA Team.
3. LOOK WHO'S BACK
Seventeen Badgers are returning to don the Cardinal and White for another year after a season as the NCAA runner-up team. Among those returning are all three of Wisconsin's first-team All-Americans from the 2023-24 season in Harvey, O'Brien and Simms. Eden and Edwards also earned all-WCHA honors during the 2023-24 season. The returners are responsible for 81.4% of goals and 76.5% of points from last season.
4. NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
Wisconsin welcomed five freshmen and two transfers to the roster this offseason. Freshmen Finley McCarthy, Hannah Halverson, Maggie Scannell, Grace Bickett and Emma Venusio are joined by Ohio State transfer goaltender Quinn Kuntz and Bemidji State transfer McKayla Zilisch.
The freshman join the Badgers from Minnesota, Canada, New York and McCarthy is the first Montana native to make the women's hockey roster. Zilisch, an Appleton native, returns to her home state after two season with the Beavers in Minnesota.
5. AGAINST THE LIONS
The Badgers are undefeated against Lindenwood, leading 23-0-0 in the all-time series. The Badgers last faced off against the Lions away in Maryland Heights where they'd win both with a collective score of 22-1 between the two games, including a school record 16 goals in game two. Cassie Hall and Lacey Eden both put together hat tricks in that game.
