Women’s Hockey: No. 2 Wisconsin Badgers roll past St. Thomas Tommies, advance to WCHA Semifinals

The University of Wisconsin Badgers entered the Western Collegiate Hockey Association quarterfinals with momentum after taking down the Ohio State Buckeyes 4-2 in a thriller to finish the regular season.

The St. Thomas Tommies came out of the gate playing stellar defense. Tommies goaltender Calla Frank started the game with a perfect 13-for-13 saves in the first period.

The Badgers opened up the scoring just 49 seconds into the second period as forward Kirsten Simms fired a shot from close range on Frank, finding the back of the net. With just over eight minutes remaining, freshman Laney Potter took it from left to right, attempting to maneuver the puck past Frank. Frank made the initial save, but forward Lacey Eden found the rebound in front of the net and chipped the backhand in over Frank.

The Tommies would not go away, as 90 seconds later, junior Lauren Stenslie took the puck down the length of the ice and beat goalie Jane Gervais to the right post, cutting the lead in half.

Halfway through the third period, Simms scored her second goal of the game on what looked to be a centering pass that somehow got through Frank. It was the sophomore’s 29th goal of the season. She leads all skaters in the U.S. College Hockey Organization with 67 points on the season. The Badgers would win game one by a final score of 4-2.

The Badgers opened up the scoring on Saturday halfway through the first period, as Simms found forward Britta Curl in front of the net. Curl tipped the puck past the right pad of Tommies’ goaltender Olivia King for the goal.

This game would not remain as competitive as Friday’s contest. The Badgers barraged for four goals in both the second and third periods to the Tommies’ singular goal for a 9-1 victory.

The Badgers’ nine goals were scored by seven different skaters, with Curl and forward Casey O’Brien making two goals each for the Badgers. By the end of the matchup, the Badgers had amassed 60 shots on goal.

Looking Forward

The Badgers travel to Minneapolis on Friday to face the No. 5 Minnesota Golden Gophers. The Badgers won three of the four regular-season matchups with the Gophers, including a 4-3 OT thriller on Feb. 16 at La Bahn Arena. The puck will drop at 4:30 p.m.

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