Wisconsin Badgers
Minnesota Duluth
No. 1 Wisconsin returns to action against No. 8 UMD
January 07, 2026 | Women's Hockey
Badgers begin 2026 hockey against the Bulldogs
DULUTH, Minnesota. - The No. 1 Wisconsin women’s hockey team opens the year in a series at No. 8 Minnesota Duluth on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 9 and 10. Friday’s game will be at 3:02 p.m. and Saturday’s at 2 p.m. (CT)
Fans can watch the action on Big Ten Plus or listen to Paul Braun on 1070 AM.
Here are five things to know about the series
1. WHERE WE LEFT OFF
The Badgers ended the first half of the season on a high note with a series sweep against No. 2 Ohio State.
The two teams met for the first time since the 2025 National Championship, where the Badgers brought home the trophy, Wisconsin's winning ways continued during this latest series in December.
In the first game of the series, freshman Adéla Šapovalivová scored in her first ever meeting with the Buckeyes. Šapovalivová's goal was followed by a Caroline Harvey breakaway to secure Wisconsin a 2-1 win.
The second game was a 6-1 win with five Badger scorers. Harvey, Kelly Gorbatenko, Maggie Scannell, Hannah Halverson, and Kirsten Simms all found the back of the net. Junior goaltender Ava McNaughton made 35 saves.
It was the first
Big wins come with big performances ?????:
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerWHockey) December 8, 2025
Harvey: 2 game-winning goals, 2 assists,
McNaughton: 60 saves, .968 save percentage pic.twitter.com/Pgts5BUeGN
2. DREAM TEAM
In December, Ava McNaughton and Caroline Harvey gathered WCHA distinctions.
Harvey was awarded Defended of the Month, her third time this season. The senior leads the NCAA in points (41) and assists (30).
McNaughton earned the Goaltender of the Month honor after her 60-save performance against No. 2 Ohio State. The junior has had six shutouts this season.
Both Badgers will represent Team USA at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics.
3. BADGER OLYMPIANS
With a few rosters still yet to be announced, Wisconsin is sending seven Badgers to the Winter Olympics thus far. This includes five current players and two former athletes. In addition, two Badger staff members will be traveling with Team USA as well.
For Team USA, current Badgers Laila Edwards, Kirsten Simms, Caroline Harvey and Ava McNaughton will be joined by former Badgers Britta Curl-Salemme and Hilary Knight. Also representing the United States on behalf of Wisconsin are current athletic trainer Stefanie Arndt and former director of operations/equipment manager Sis Paulsen.
Freshman Adéla Šapovalivová was named to the Czechia roster, the first women's hockey player to represent a country other than Canada or the USA at the Olympics..
Šapovalivová, Edwards, Simms, Harvey and McNaughton will take the ice in Italy on February 5th, with a preliminary matchup between Czechia and the USA.
4. AGAINST UMD
The Badgers last faced the Bulldogs on Oct. 11 and 12, where Wisconsin swept the series.
In game one, Cassie Hall secured the Badgers' 4-3 win by scoring with just 8.9 seconds remaining in the game, right after Caroline Harvey tied things up seconds earlier.The next day, UW shut out UMD 4-0. In the second game of the series, Laney Potter, Lacey Eden, Adéla Šapovalivová and Caroline Harvey each tallied one for the Badgers.
Overall, Wisconsin is 67-37-15 with Duluth, dating back to Oct. 8, 1999. The squad's away record against the Bulldogs is 29-18-7.
5. UPCOMING SENIOR NIGHT
After Duluth, the Badgers face St. Thomas on Jan. 16 and 17 before finally returning home and playing Bemidji on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 24 and 25.
On Saturday's game, nine Badger seniors will be recognized for their time at Wisconsin during senior night.
The seniors are Caroline Harvey, Vivian Jungels, Laila Edwards, Kirsten Simms, Claire Enright, Chloe Baker, McKayla Zilisch, Lacey Eden and Marianne Picard.
