While the men split a series with Boston College this past weekend in Madison, the Wisconsin women’s hockey (5-0-1) team swept the Clarkson Golden Knights.
It was a tough win for the Badgers Friday afternoon. The team came out strong with Sarah Nurse picking up the first goal of the game. Sam Cogan tied the game in the third period, marking her 4th goal this season, all of which came in the 3rd.
“I’m happy I can contribute to the team, but I think I’ve got to get those goals in a little bit earlier,” Cogan explained.
Junior Emily Clark scored in overtime to bring home the win. This was Clark’s second game-winning goal this season and 13th of her career.
“I think at the start of last year we had a lot of success and kind of pulled away from teams early. This year we’ve faced a little more adversity. Getting in the habit of getting used to the challenge and keeping our energy up is key,” Clark said.
The third period in Saturday afternoon’s game got intense with Sydney McKibbon, Presley Norby, and Nurse each picking up a goal putting the Badgers up 4-1.
“It was really exciting,” Norby said about her first collegiate goal. “I got a really good pass and it was really fun celebrating with my linemates. I’m always really antsy to score and get pucks on net, so breaking that seal is really exciting and just makes me look forward to the rest of the season.”
McKibbon, Norby, and Nurse are something of a dream team. The same line was responsible for all four of Saturday’s goals.
“It’s amazing playing with them. They work super well together, and they’ve really helped me come into the line. They work really well with me, they’re really good at communicating, they’re positive on the bench, and they are just really good teammates and even better linemates,” explained Norby.
Saturday’s win marked coach Mark Johnson’s 400th career win. He joins the ranks of the best NCAA coaches. He is in the top five winningest coaches in the NCAA for Division I women’s hockey, and is the winningest coach in the WCHA.
UW continues on the road with a trip to Grand Forks, North Dakota, to take on the UND Fighting Hawks. Faceoff on Oct. 22 and 23 is set for 2 p.m. CT. You can get live updates or listen to the game live at uwbadgers.com.
Photo courtesy of uwbadgers.com.