Shereen Siewert | Wausau Pilot & Review
Six different Badgers scored Saturday to allow the University of Wisconsin women’s hockey team to continue their undefeated streak against Minnesota, in one of the highest-scoring matchups of the rivalry.
The eighth-ranked Badger women were underdogs against No. 3 Minnesota but emerged with a 7-5 victory at Ridder Arena. Minnesota scored midway through the opening frame and extended their lead early in the second, but the Badgers killed off a five-minute major penalty to keep the game at 2-0.
The Badgers cut the lead to 2-1 thanks to a score by Claire Enright before Laila Edwards tied the game with a power play goal. With less than a minute left in the second, Kirsten Simms gave the Badgers the lead.
Simms scored again in the third before the Gophers came back with two goals to tie the game once again. But Caroline Harvey and Casey O’Brien both scored late in the third to give the Badgers a 6-4 edge with less than four minutes remaining. Jesse Copmher sealed the victory for the Badgers with an empty netter.
Cami Kronish picked up her 14th win of the season and her second against the Golden Gophers, stopping 40 of the shots she faced.
Enright set a career high with three points, while Simms enjoyed her first career multi-goal game. Harvey now sits in seventh place in UW history in single-season defender points, with 34. Only Sis Paulsen and Kerry Weiland scored more points than Harvey as rookie defenders, according to the UW Athletics Department.
The Badger women face No. 1 Ohio State next weekend.
