DULUTH — After the Wisconsin Badgers posted an upset victory over No. 1 Northeastern, 2-1, to win their most recent national title in 2021, it made for a hard pill to swallow when they lost to the Huskies to miss out on the Frozen Four the very next season. As a program with six national titles to its name, Wisconsin was understandably disappointed to miss out on the prestigious tournament in 2022.
But now, back at the Frozen Four in 2023 and looking to add another national championship to their resume, it’s only fitting that Wisconsin would match up against rival Minnesota, team they know all too well, in the Frozen Four semifinals. The Badgers have played the Gophers five times already this season and have earned two wins, two ties, and one loss. Although Wisconsin’s overall record (27-10-2) doesn’t look as flashy as Minnesota’s (30-5-3), the Badgers have played really good hockey against the Golden Gophers.
“I think it’s perfect that we’re playing the Gophers, our biggest rival I’d say, and I think we respect them so much,” said junior forward Casey O’Brien. “They have so many great players, great leaders on that team, but so do we.”
Faceoff on Friday, March 17 is at 6 p.m. CT in Duluth at Amsoil Arena. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
“My big thing is I want them to play well, I don’t want [the team] to be nervous, I don’t want to be worried about making mistakes. I just want them to free their minds up, go enjoy the moment, and play,” said Wisconsin head coach Mark Johnson.
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'The Badgers played two very solid regional games to get back to the Frozen Four this season, defeating Long Island 9-1 and Colgate 4-2. Those wins proved that it's no mistake that the unseeded squad deserves to be back in the top four.
Wisconsin is led by O’Brien, who has 19 goals and 29 assists this season. Teammates Britta Curl and Lacey Eden both have 40 or more points in 2022-23. Alongside those three, Jesse Compher, Sophie Shirley, and Kirsten Simms have all added to the scoring depth of the squad and have 30-plus points apiece. Freshman Caroline Harvey and graduate student Nicole LaMantia have been excellent on the blue line this year. Cami Kronish has earned a majority of minutes in net this season, where she has posted a .926 save percentage alongside a 1.59 goals against average.
The Badgers are third in goals scored in the NCAA in 2022-23 (165) and also have the third highest goals-per-game (4.23). On average, they also have the fourth-fewest goals against this season (1.67). As for special teams, Wisconsin is sitting at an 18.42% success rate on the power play and an 84.21% penalty kill, which is good, but not as good as the other Frozen Four participants.
It may seem like a tough task for the Badgers to get past Minnesota, but they’ve already had success against the Golden Gophers this season and they could make a push to do it again on Friday night. In a typical game between the two, one can expect a high-flying, high-scoring game, as both teams usually pack a punch with their offensive power.
“If I could pick one word to describe this team, it would be resilient,” said junior forward Casey O’Brien. “We’ve gone through some adversity but that’s only made us stronger.”
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