Tag: badgers hockey

Wisconsin women’s hockey legend to be inducted to USA Hockey Hall of Fame

Wisconsin women’s hockey legend to be inducted to USA Hockey Hall of Fame

Wisconsin women’s hockey legend Brianna Decker will be inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame this year, per an announcement from USA Hockey on Thursday.

Decker will join Matt Cullen, Frederic McLaughlin, Kevin Stevens and the gold medal-winning 2002 Paralympic Sled Hockey Team as 2024 inductees this winter. Her induction will mark the first time a Wisconsin women’s hockey alum will enter the USA Hockey Hall of Fame.

As a Badger, Decker played four seasons in Madison under legendary head coach Mark Johnson from 2009-13. During her collegiate tenure, the Dousman, Wisconsin native helped guide Wisconsin to an NCAA Championship in 2011 and scored 115 goals, enough for No. 2 all-time in program history.

Decker also pocketed the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, the highest individual honor across women’s collegiate hockey and Western College Hockey Association Player of the Year nods as a junior in 2012. 

Following her stint in Wisconsin, Decker played professionally in the National Women’s Hockey League and the Canadian Women’s Hockey League. She also earned a gold medal as a member of Team USA in 2018 and two silver medals in 2014 and 2022.

Decker was inducted into the UW Athletic Hall of Fame in 2023 and now contributes to bettering the next generation of hockey stars as an associate head coach at her alma mater.

The ceremony will take place on Dec. 4, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

LOOK: Wisconsin women’s hockey announces updates to 2024-25 slate

Wisconsin women’s hockey announces updates to 2024-25 schedule

Wisconsin’s women’s hockey program announced updates to its 2024-25 schedule on Monday.

The crew, captained by dynastic head coach Mark Johnson, will play a total of 34 regular season games before embarking on its quest for an eighth NCAA Tournament championship this winter.

The schedule includes seven home series and 15 total home contests from Sept. 27 through Feb. 22. Wisconsin kick-starts its season against Lindenwood on Friday, Sept. 27 and Saturday, Sept. 28, a few weeks before they welcome Minnesota Duluth to Madison’s La Bahn Arena.

UW also hosts Bemidji State in October, St. Thomas in November, Ohio State, Minnesota State and St. Cloud State in January and Minnesota in February.

Puck drop times for all of these matches will be released in the next few weeks. For more information about Wisconsin’s home schedule, click here.

The Badgers will also travel to Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts to play Boston College the weekend of Oct. 4 and Minneapolis, Minnesota to play the Golden Gophers the weekend of Oct. 18.

St Cloud State (Nov. 1-2), Ohio State (Nov. 15-16), Maine (Nov. 29-30), Minnesota State, (Dec. 6-7) St. Thomas (Jan. 17-18), Minnesota Duluth (Jan 31-Feb. 1) and Bemidji State (Feb. 21-22) are included on UW’s away game list as well.

Wisconsin went 35-6 a season ago before falling to Ohio State in the NCAA title game. The program, which embodies consistency on the ice, will aim to reach the pinnacle of college hockey once more in late March.

Wisconsin hockey to compete in outdoor event at Wrigley Field

Wisconsin hockey to compete in outdoor event at Chicago’s Wrigley Field

Wisconsin’s men’s and women’s hockey programs will participate in ‘The Frozen Confines: Big Ten Hockey Series,’ an outdoor event at Chicago’s Wrigley Field this January, per Thursday’s release.

The two-day event features several Big Ten teams, including Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan State and Michigan. Mark Johnson’s women’s platoon will square off against the Buckeyes while Wisconsin’s men’s team will play the Spartans on Saturday, Jan. 4.

The contests are slated for 4:30 and 8 p.m. with the game order still awaiting a final scheduling.

This marks the first outdoor match for UW’s women’s group in 14 years while the men will showcase their skills for viewers outside for the first time since 2013.

The Badger men enter the 2024-25 campaign fresh off an impressive 26-12-2 overall record in 2023-24. The group secured multiple top-5 victories over both Minnesota and Michigan early in the season, Mike Hastings’ first year as head coach.

UW’s women, who amassed an incredible 35-6-0 mark in 2023-24, cruised to the NCAA Frozen Four title game against Ohio State. The Badgers ultimately dropped the contest 1-0. Nonetheless, Johnson’s cadre will aim to ride its momentum into this winter.

Tickets for January’s doubleheader will become available for public purchase on Friday, Aug. 30 at 10 a.m. CT through Wrigley Field. For more details, visit UWBadgers.com.

Opinion: Madison ranked too low in Big Ten college town list

The Big Ten college towns were ranked by Saturday Tradition on Wednesday, and Madison came in eighth, which is certainly too low.

The Big Ten college towns were ranked by Saturday Tradition on Wednesday, and Madison came in eighth — a ranking that is certainly too low.

Whoever made this list failed to actually consider everything that Madison has to offer. There are few fan bases in the country that care about their sports teams as much as Badger fans do.

Camp Randall and the Kohl Center regularly sell out for football and men’s basketball, while the fieldhouse is always packed for the women’s volleyball team. To speak to the fan environment and passion of the Madison community, they were the only school in the nation to have more than 8,200 attend three different women’s sports events in 2022-2023.

Now to speak to the town as a whole, Madison is welcoming to all visitors. Operating as one of the most walkable cities in the country, with attractions like the capitol building, State Street and Lake Mendota, Wisconsin’s campus is tucked away in its own world.

I don’t think it’s crazy to consider Maddison a better college town than almost all of the schools in the conference, just ask ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt!

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Wisconsin women’s hockey upsets Ohio State to take home national championship

Wisconsin women’s hockey upsets Ohio State to take home national championship

The Wisconsin women’s hockey dynasty continued in upset fashion on Sunday as the Badgers defeated Ohio State 1-0 to take home their seventh NCAA title.

Freshman forward Kristen Simms’ first period goal was the difference as the Badgers played an unfamiliar role as the underdog.

With the win, Wisconsin hoisted there seventh national championship trophy which broke a tie with Minnesota for most all-time. It makes it even sweeter that the Badgers surpassed their rival in the process.

While the Badgers are usually the favorite, a WCHA tournament loss to Minnesota meant that had to claw their way back to the national championship. They did just that and ended it with a win over the Buckeyes:

Notre Dame Hockey: Eight Game Unbeaten Streak Snapped

Reigning Big Ten “Third Star of the Week” Cale Morris made 32 saves on 34 shot attempts but the Irish were unable to light the lamp all night while allowing two power play goals to the Badgers.

For the first time this season in Big Ten play the No. 3/4 Notre Dame hockey team fell in regulation and failed to pick up a point as No. 15 Wisconsin bested them 3-0 Friday night in Madison, Wisconsin.

Reigning Big Ten “Third Star of the Week” Cale Morris made 32 saves on 34 shot attempts but the Irish were unable to light the lamp all night while allowing two power play goals to the Badgers.

The Irish went 0-for-1 on the power play while Daniel Lebedoff stopped all 22 shots the Irish put on net Friday night, securing the shutout for Wisconsin.

Notre Dame goes for the series split Saturday night in Madison as the puck drops again at 8 p.m. E.T.