Wisconsin Women's Hockey Breaks Through to Frozen Four

The Badgers, the only team in the country that converts on the power play more often than the Golden Knights, had a first-period opportunity with the advantage but failed to score on three shots on goal. After twenty minutes, UW trailed 1-0. 

Despite scoring over 5.5 goals per game, the most by any team in NCAA Division I, Wisconsin was kept off the scoreboard for over half of the game. With a couple of near-misses, it was easy to assume that frustration was mounting amongst the Badgers. 

Early in the second period, UW defender Vivian Jungels had an opportunity to take the puck in all alone against Clarkson goaltender Holly Gruber. However, the puck bounced under Jungels' stick. Two minutes later, a two-on-one chance went awry as winger Kelly Gorbatenko whiffed on a one-time feed by Wisconsin all-time leading scorer Casey O'Brien. 

Midway through the second period, Gruber, a Stevens Point native and self-described "big Midwest girl," had stopped all 19 shots she faced.

Wisconsin Women's Hockey Ends Offensive Frustration

"We felt like we had more in the tank, especially heading to the second," Wisconsin captain Caroline Harvey said of her team's early struggles. "We probably didn't put our best foot forward initially, but it's okay, we knew we were going to come back. We had it in us and we just had more effort to give."

That effort led to a second-period breakthrough. And the Badgers showed some emotion doing so, thanks to a duo made of one likely and one unlikely suspect. 

With eight and a half minutes remaining in the second period, Wisconsin managed to hold the puck in the offensive zone. Its top forward line set up the offense as winger Kirsten Simms sent the puck around the boards and behind the net. After O'Brien, who has the most assists in program history, corralled the puck, she used a backhand feed to set up defender Ava Murphy. 

From the left faceoff dot, the sophomore scored just her third goal of the year to equalize the score after putting her team in the initial deficit with a penalty.

A team so used to scoring, but this time with its season on the line, celebrated exuberantly after its first goal. Even O'Brien and her fellow Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Finalist Laila Edwards, the country's two leading scorers, lept to the air. 

The celebrations would not stop there. Late in the middle frame, Wisconsin had another chance on the power play. Typically, UW converts its power play opportunities through fluid, perfectly executed passing. In playoff hockey, sometimes you need to score a little messy.

In the waning seconds of the advantage, defender Laney Potter attempted a stretch pass from the defensive zone to the opposite blue line. Clarkson defender and ECAC player of the year Haley Winn appeared to disrupt the pass intended for Cassie Hall, but UW's Kelly Gorbatenko made an exemplary individual effort despite imperfect circumstances. 

After picking up the puck at the blue line, the Barrington, Illinois native carried the puck into the offensive zone with one hand on her stick. After using her offhand to create separation with CU defender Sidney Fess, Gorbatenko lifted the puck with a backhanded shove to score top shelf. With an emphatic celebratory leap into the boards, the sophomore gave Wisconsin a 2-1 lead it would not surrender. 

"I was just trying to get a shot on net. I was a little surprised myself there that it went in," Gorbatenko said. 

A third-period insurance goal by Laila Edwards on a (more characteristically) textbook power play and an empty netter gave the Badgers the final 4-1 margin. 

That empty netter was anything but characteristic as Lacey Eden scored on what you might technically call a shorthanded-empty net-penalty shot. The senior was tripped with a clear path to shoot to the open net. Thus, she was awarded her 24th goal of the season. 

"How many goals have you scored when you never had to shoot the puck in the net?" Wisconsin head coach Mark Johnson asked the alternate captain. "Doesn't happen very often." 

Up Next for Wisconsin Women's Hockey

One weekend remains in the women's college hockey season. The Badgers now turn their attention to the Frozen Four in Minneapolis hosted by the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers. UW plays in the first game of the national semifinals on Friday, March 21st. Puck drop is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. central. 

The Badgers will face the hosting Gophers on Friday. The Border Battle rivals have played five times this season, with Wisconsin winning all five matchups. Most recently, the UW bested four-seed Minnesota in the WCHA Final Faceoff championship with Sarah Wozniewicz's game-winning goal, scored with a mere 25 seconds remaining in the third period. 

Wisconsin has never beaten Minnesota six times in one season. 

Both national semifinal games can be streamed on ESPN+. The national championship game will be broadcast on ESPNU on Sunday, March 23rd at 3:00 p.m.