MADISON, WI (WSAU) -- The Wisconsin Badger women's hockey team is headed to Connecticut for the Frozen Four.
The #1 ranked Wisconsin women's hockey team shutout Syracuse 4-0 at LaBahn Arena on Saturday afternoon. Senior forward Annie Pankowski scored twice to lead the Badgers, with junior forwards Abby Roque and Presley Norby each tacked on a goal to a crowd of 2,423 at LaBahn, matching the largest crowd in the venue's history.
The first period stayed fairly quiet as neither team got a puck in the back of the net. The Badgers did get a powerplay opportunity in the first as Syracuse's Emma Polaski sat for a tripping call. But scoring didn't begin until the second when Pankowski got her first goal only 2:33 into the period.
Pankowski scored her second goal later in the frame almost ten minutes later to put Wisconsin up 2-0 heading into the third. With 7:43 left to go in the game, Roque stole the puck behind Syracuse net and snuck in the team's third goal. Norby then sealed the win, scoring her goal with only over a minute remaining.
The Badgers outshot the Orange 47-15 and are now 17-0-1 in games when they tally 40-49 shots on goal. Junior goaltender Kristen Campbell made 15 saves to earn her NCAA-leading ninth shutout. She also matched the school record for most wins by a goaltender in a season (33) with the win against Syracuse.
Head Coach Mark Johnson said of the performance by his team on Saturday, "We were certainly pleased with the outcome and the effort for the entire 60 minutes. We played the puck possession, the puck time, all the way through the second period to really take charge of the game. Come back in the third period and continue to do what we had done for 40 minutes. From start to finish our effort was good. The first goal, I don't know if it relaxed everybody, or what it did, but from that point on we were pretty good."
This is the 6th season the Badgers are headed to the Frozen Four, which matches the longest streak in the league (Minnesota 2012-2017). The Badgers next game will be on Friday, March 22nd in Hamden, Connecticut against Clarkson. Puck drop is set for 6 pm and will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.
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