The University of Wisconsin women’s hockey team entered the NCAA Tournament hot — following a thrilling win over the University of Minnesota and a dominant 6-3 win over the top-ranked Ohio State University to win the WCHA Tournament.
The St. Lawrence Saints defeated Penn State Lady Lions Thursday to face UW, who had received a bye as the No. 2 seed. The Saints had won in a 1-0 overtime thriller, where Saints’ goaltender Emma-Sofie Nordström had 36 saves in the shutout.
The Badgers wasted no time Saturday afternoon, with forward Casey O’Brien capitalizing on a Saints turnover, maneuvering the puck past the left pad of Nordström — sending LaBahn Arena into a frenzy just 14 seconds into the contest.
The Saints staved off the Badgers for the rest of the first and second periods despite the Badgers outshooting the Saints 32-18 at the end of two periods.
The floodgates opened in the third period as forward Sarah Wozniewicz deflected a shot from forward Laney Potter into the back of the net.
Forward Laila Edwards tacked on two goals of her own, as the Badgers entered cruise control en route to a 4-0 victory. The sophomore has amassed an impressive 20 goals this season and has been crucial to the Badgers’ success all season long.
“We have one more game,” UW head coach Mark Johnson said following the game. “I think that is the most important part of today’s victory. The season goes on.”
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With the win, the Badgers advance to the Frozen Four in Durham, New Hampshire.
They will face the No. 3 seed Colgate Raiders. While the Raiders lost three of their last six regular season matchups, they have been a perfect 5-0 in postseason play — winning the ECAC tournament and defeating Cornell University in the NCAA Quarterfinals to advance to the Frozen Four.
Puck drop is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on Friday, March 29 between the Badgers and the Raiders. If UW advances, the final will be played Sunday, March 31 at 3:00 p.m. CT between the winner of Ohio State and Clarkson University.