Wisconsin started the final series of 2024 with a hard-fought win over Minnesota State.
The last series before the Badgers embark on a three-week layoff opened with a win as Wisconsin took down Minnesota State in a low-scoring affair. The Badgers never trailed, though they got all they could handle from the Mavericks.
The No. 1 Wisconsin Badgers (18-1 overall, 12-1 WCHA) were led by the usual suspect, with Laila Edwards, Caroline Harvey, Casey O’Brien, and Kirsten Simms popping up on the score sheet. Harvey got the scoring started late in the first with her team-leading fifth power-play goal. Simms and O’Brien chipped in with assists on the junior defender’s goal.
Simms tallied her second point of the night after tucking a feed from O’Brien into a virtually wide-open net, with Edwards earning the secondary assist. It was always going to be a lofty bar to match her sophomore season production when she led the country in points, but Simms has come on lately to notch 11 points over the last five games, propelling her back among the top ten point scorers in the NCAA.
Simms doubles our lead! O’Brien picks up her second point of the game with an assist. Edwards gets the secondary. pic.twitter.com/h6lA2EINnN
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerWHockey) December 6, 2024
Despite their record, Minnesota State (6-8-1 overall, 2-8-1 WCHA) has been playing some tough hockey over the last few weeks. Coming into this weekend, the Mavericks were unbeaten in regulation over their last seven games, which included 4-1 wins over No. 2 Ohio State and No. 8 St. Cloud State. They played the Badgers tight, with Madison Mashuga cutting the lead to one late in the second, but that would put a cap on the scoring for the night to grant Wisconsin a 2-1 win.
Both goaltenders faced a relatively low number of shots in what wound up being a defensive battle, with Minnesota State holding a narrow 24-23 edge for the game. Things started to heat up in the third as both teams made it a point to get pucks on net. Nearly half the game’s total shots came in the final period, though neither netminder gave way and Ava McNaughton recorded her nation-leading 16th win.
Wisconsin is back at it this afternoon in Mankato for the last time in 2024. Puck drops on the finale with Minnesota State at 2 p.m. on B1G+.