A Constant in Net

Ava McNaughton was 6 when she got her first look at what she hopes will be her destiny.

It was 2010 and the Winter Olympics were in full swing. She and her older sister, Emily, were in the midst of taking learn-to-skate lessons with the curriculum geared toward figure skating when Ava had an epiphany while watching Team USA compete against the world in Vancouver.

“We had the TV on in the kitchen,’’ her mother, Gretchen, said. “Ava watched the women’s team play and she was like, ‘I want to play hockey.’ And I’m like, ‘Oh, OK.’’’

The attraction was instantaneous.

“I loved how fast everything was,’’ Ava said, “and how exciting it was to watch.’’

“We were going to wait until the following winter for her to go ahead and try, but she was just so interested in it,’’ her mom said. “She watched hockey. She wanted to go look at the equipment. She wanted to go look at the skates. She didn’t want anything to do with the figure skates anymore. She wanted hockey skates.’’

At that age, with proper coaching, kids take turns playing forward, defense or goaltender. Ava was definitely drawn to playing goalie, volunteering whenever possible.

“Any time there was any hesitation by one of the other kids, Ava raised her hand and said, ‘I’ll do it,’’’ her mom recalled. “She was very taken with it.’’

She still is, only now with a higher profile, greater pressure and bigger stakes. McNaughton is one of the primary reasons why top-ranked Wisconsin begins the postseason with designs on claiming its eighth NCAA title since 2006.

The Badgers (31-1-2 overall) are fresh off winning their 10th Western Collegiate Hockey Association regular-season title and now face Bemidji State (6-28-1) in a first-round best-of-three series Friday at 7 p.m. at LaBahn Arena.

UW has an embarrassment of riches in all four statistical categories, featuring the No. 1 offense (5.47 goals per game), top defense (1.12 goals allowed per game), best power play (.380 conversion rate) and the most elite penalty-killing unit (.920 success rate).

McNaughton, a 20-year-old sophomore from Seven Fields, Pennsylvania, is the constant. She leads NCAA Division I goaltenders in wins with 29, goals against average at 1.18 and a .948 save ratio to go along with seven shutouts. She’s a semifinalist for the Women’s Hockey Goalie of the Year.

A year ago, McNaughton and redshirt junior Jane Gervais essentially split every start before McNaughton was the chosen one for the playoffs, which gave way to a soul-wrenching 1-0 loss to WCHA rival Ohio State in the NCAA championship match.

Now McNaughton must take everything in her tool box – patience, technique, confidence, work ethic and stamina – to another level.

“Can you play a bunch of games in a row? That’s going to be the challenge,’’ UW coach Mark Johnson said. “Can you be consistent through that time frame?’’

McNaughton’s stat line from last season – 20-3, 1.45 goals against, .936 save ratio and five shutouts – and her willingness to adapt are evidence of her improvement.

UW goaltending coach Mark Greenhalgh said McNaughton was somewhat reluctant to embrace new ways – for example, a common issue for most young goaltenders is dropping down too soon, which can be remedied by learning to keep your hips over your knees – “but has realized the value of them and has come around in that regard and is pretty receptive now.

“I still think it gets down to getting to the right spots and she’s put a higher premium on that than she has in the past. Reading the play and getting to the most optimum spot before the shot is released.’’

McNaughton credits Greenhalgh for saying the right things at the right time.

“He’s instilled some confidence in me,’’ she said. “He’s always telling you, ‘I can tell you’ve worked on this. I can see the difference between looking back on the season and now. And you’re doing things a lot better.’ That’s nice to hear it from someone else other than you watching yourself. It confirms that I’m making small changes that make me a better hockey player. That’s not always easy to see over the course of a whole season.

“You might not see (the little things) but he does and it’s nice to hear,’’ she said.

Greenhalgh said it’s been enjoyable to watch McNaughton grow and mature.

“She’s capable of stuff she’s not even aware of,’’ he said.

Wisconsin has had a marvelous run of elite goaltenders, including two Patty Kazmaier Award winners in Jessie Vetter (2009) and Ann-Renee DesbIens (2017); four Olympic medalists in Vetter (silver in 2010 and ’14 for Team USA), Desbiens (silver in 2018, gold in ’22 for Team Canada); Kristen Campbell (gold in 2022 for Canada) and Alex Rigsby (gold in 2018 for the Americans); as well as five NCAA title-winners in Vetter (2006, ’07 and ’09), Rigsby (2011), Campbell (2019), Kennedy Blair (2022) and Cami Kronish (2023).

McNaughton was vying to join Rigsby as the second true freshman in program history to backstop the Badgers to a national championship – which would have been their third straight – but a third-period shot by Ohio State left winger Joy Dunne clipped the shaft of a UW teammate’s stick and found its way past McNaughton, who made 27 saves in the harsh, excruciating setback.

While excited to have earned the trust of her coaches and teammates, the outcome stung.

“You never know what it’s going to feel like until you’re in it,’’ McNaughton said, adding that the result was “definitely heartbreaking.’’

“You need to realize you gave your team the best chance to win and did the best you can,’’ her mother said. “It’s hard to lose when you’re that competitive. You hope to work and earn the opportunity to get in that situation again.’’

Greenhalgh described McNaughton as having a “business-like’’ demeanor with pieces of Campbell – most notably her work ethic – and Desbiens – primarily her mechanics, confidence and steadiness – mixed in.

Johnson once had former equipment manager Sis Paulson lock Campbell’s equipment in her office to drive home the point that Campbell needed to take a break.

“With Ava, sometimes less is more,’’ Johnson said.

Desbiens, a two-time first-team All-American, famously set the NCAA record for most career shutouts with 55, including 21 in 2015-16.

“She’s driven,’’ Greenhalgh said of his latest protégé.

McNaughton grew up with parents – Gretchen is a pharmacist and Robert is an engineer – “that supported whatever I wanted to’’ whether it be soccer, softball, field hockey, track and field and figure skating. McNaughton is majoring in biochemistry and global health with certificates in disability rights and services along with athletic healthcare. She aspires to be a radiologist or an orthopedic surgeon.

“She has a lot of traits from both of us,’’ Gretchen said. “Neither one of us played a sport at the level she played, but we strive to do our best in everything we do. We’re analytical. We’re committed. We’re hard workers.

“She’s not someone who gives up easily. If anything, it motivates her to work harder. She wants to be the best she can. She’s always moving forward to the place she wants to be.

“She’s a motivated, dedicated person and that’s really served her well in her journey.’’

Ava said her older sister inspires her. Emily grew up focused on field hockey and water polo before becoming a nurse.

“She was very true to herself and loved what she did,’’ Ava said. “It’s really inspiring to see her have this dream for her whole life, pursue it and do really well in it. I’m glad I have her to look up to.’’

Ava also has a shout-out in her UW bio to James Lederach, a personal trainer in the Pittsburgh area who struck the right chord with McNaughton.

“He was always so caring and motivational,’’ she said. “He pushed you to strive for more.’’

Now, go back to that moment when 6-year-old Ava became transfixed with hockey by watching the Winter Olympics and you’ll find a potential full-circle moment.

Not only was Vetter the goaltender for Team USA, the coach was Johnson, who took a year-long sabbatical to oversee the U.S. squad.

McNaughton as an Olympian in 2026?

“That would be the fairytale ending of that story,’’ her mom said. “She’s always striving and working towards playing at her highest level. To get an opportunity to play in the Olympics is one of her great aspirations.’’

Ava has two high-profile assignments along this route. One was the 2022 under-18 women’s world championship, where the Americans earned a silver medal. The other came in December when McNaughton led the U.S. to a first-place finish.

Before taking part in a recent USA Hockey camp, McNaughton got some advice from Johnson. Take as many mental notes as possible.

“Act like a sponge,’’ he said.

Could McNaughton follow her decorated predecessors to the Winter Olympics?

“She’s on the path,’’ Johnson said.