Two of the nation’s best offenses will meet this weekend as the Minnesota Gophers travel to Wisconsin to face the reigning national champions. In a series expected to be offensively explosive, keeping pucks out of the net will matter just as much as putting them in.
“It’s hard to win hockey games if you’re giving up more than two goals,” said head coach Brad Frost. “It’s not just a goaltending or a defensive thing. It’s everybody, a combined effort.”
That has been a consistent message from Frost all season. He said he trusts his team’s offense to score at least twice a game, meaning the goal is not to allow more than two. Of 10 games this year, Minnesota has hit that mark in seven. One of the few games they did not meet that mark resulted in their only loss, 4-3, to Ohio State University.
Holding Wisconsin to fewer than two goals will be a challenge.
Cassie Hall leads the Badgers with 10 goals, followed by Lacey Eden with seven and defender Caroline Harvey with five. This is a Badgers team that has been playing without key Team USA players Laila Edwards and Kirsten Simms, who missed last weekend with an injury.
Minnesota is missing a few players of their own. Sarah Paul has been absent from the lineup since exiting the Ohio State series early with an injury. Top defender Chloe Primerano could potentially also miss the Wisconsin series, as she is currently at a Team Canada camp.
Even if both teams are not at full strength, the rivalry never loses intensity. Minnesota versus Madison is one of the biggest rivalries in women’s hockey.
The historical record is about as even as it gets. Minnesota is 58-58-16 all time against the Badgers. Yet, Wisconsin holds the advantage in recent years — Minnesota lost all of the last 10 matchups against Wisconsin, including a loss that ended their national tournament run last year.
It feels like the Gophers’ early schedule has been building towards this rematch. They have faced ranked conference opponents for the last three weeks, only dropping one game in their run against No. 11 St. Cloud, No. 2 Ohio State and No. 5 Minnesota-Duluth.
“I like the fight,” Frost said. “It hasn’t been perfect, but to see where our team is at after those three weekends has been really impressive.”
The Gophers have had no issue when it comes to scoring goals. Graduate forward Abbey Murphy leads the nation with 14 goals, while junior Ava Lindsay is tied for the lead in assists with 12.
Against a team as skilled as the Badgers, though, the focus has to shift back to defense and making goaltender sophomore Hannah Clark’s job as easy as possible.
Clark is coming off her second WCHA goaltender of the week honor this season and demonstrates consistency in net for the Gophers. Recently, she had a career high in saves with 43 against Ohio State. Another strong performance is necessary for a win.
On the other side of the ice, Wisconsin will turn to Ava McNaughton, undefeated this season but who has yet to face more than 25 shots in a game. The Gophers’ offense will be her biggest test yet.
Offense might be the biggest strength of both teams, but attention to detail will be key if Minnesota wants to end the rivalry losing streak and hand Wisconsin its first loss of the season.
Whether it is a timely blocked shot or an untimely penalty, the smallest moments will make the biggest differences, according to Frost.
“Flip a coin, and one team is going to win,” Frost said. “There’s so many different things that can happen in these games.”
For the first time this weekend, 10 of Minnesota’s players will experience this rivalry. Of that group, only graduate transfer Jamie Nelson, who spent four years in conference at Mankato, has faced Wisconsin. For the rest of Minnesota’s newcomers, it will be an introduction to one of the sport’s most intense matchups.
It is fitting that their first matchup of the season comes on Halloween night, inside LaBahn Arena, where Wisconsin frequently sells out home games. Whether fans are dressed up in costumes or not, the energy will be high and as close to playoff level as it can get in October.
Minnesota is still strengthening its identity. This weekend, they will have the chance to prove that in a battle of elite offenses, defense really does make a difference.
