No. 3 Badgers hit the road to Minnesota State

The No. 3 Wisconsin women's hockey team wraps up October with a road series at Minnesota State. Faceoff on Friday and Saturday at the Verizon Wireless Center is set for 2 p.m.

Key notes to consider
• For only the third time in program history, the Badgers are off to an 8-0-0 start. A win against the Mavericks on Friday would lead to UW's first-ever 9-0-0 start.

• Through six conference games, the Badgers are in a tie for first place in the WCHA standings with Border Battle rival Minnesota.

• Sophomore Annie Pankowski leads the team in scoring, averaging 2.00 points per contest. She also leads the country in short-handed goals with three.

• Ann-Renee Desbiens collected her 22nd career shutout against Bemidji State on Oct. 24. This shutout marked the team's sixth-consecutive shutout, a new program record tied with Minnesota for the WCHA record as well.

• Junior Jenny Ryan is tied for the NCAA lead for scoring among defenseman, averaging 1.25 points per contest. The Victor, New York, native has registered a point in seven of the Badgers' eight games this year.

• This weekend's matchup features a pair of 1980 Winter Olympic heros on the benches in Wisconsin head coach Mark Johnson and Minnesota State head coach John Harrington. Both suited up for Team USA at the 1980 Winter Olympics, helping the U.S.win gold.

No. 2 Wisconsin (8-0-0) vs. Minnesota State (2-7-1)
Date	Friday, Oct. 30 \| 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31 \| 2 p.m.
Location	Mankato, Minnesota \| Verizon Wireless Center
Radio	None
Video	MSUMavericks.Com
Stats	Stats
Twitter	@BadgerWHockey
Game Notes	Wisconsin \| Minnesota State

Number of the week
6 - Wisconsin collected its sixth consecutive shutout on Oct. 24 against Bemidji State, tying the 2012-13 Minnesota squad for the longest streak in WCHA history. The shutout also marked junior goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens's NCAA leading fifth blank slate of the season.

The Series vs. Minnesota State
The Badgers lead the overall series against the Mavericks 66-2-3. Wisconsin has outscored Minnesota State 324-70 in their previous 71 meetings.

Wisconsin holds a 29-0-2 record against MSU in Mankato.

The Badgers took the series 4-0 last year, as UW outscored MSU 24-3 in the four meetings.

This weekend marks the first game at the Verizon Wireless Center between the Mavericks and Badgers since the 2002-03 season. UW is 8-0-0 all time at the Verizon Wireless Center.

Miracle On Ice Legends Face Off
When the Badgers and Mavericks meet on Friday, a pair of players from one of the most iconic sports teams in American history will be on the benches.

Wisconsin head coach Mark Johnson and Minnesota State bench boss John Harrington both suited up for Team USA in the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y.

Johnson led the U.S. in scoring at the 1980 Winter Games, tallying five goals and six assists. Johnson scored twice in the United States' 4-3 win over the USSR in the semifinal round and assisted on the game-winning goal in the gold medal game against Finland.

Harrington recorded five assists, including an assist on Mike Eruzione's go-ahead game-winning goal against the USSR.

Learn more about the pair in this WCHA feature.

About Minnesota State
Sophomore Hannah Davidson leads the team with nine points on two goals and seven assists, while fellow sophomore Elin Johansson has tallied a team-high four goals and an additional assist. Of MSU's 18 goals, all but two have been scored by underclassmen.

Freshman Corbin Boyd was named the WCHA Rookie of the Week on Sept. 29 for her performance against Union College. Boyd recorded her first collegiate goal and an assist during the Mavs 1-0-1 series against the Dutchwomen.

Junior netminder Brianna Quade has played all ten games for the Mavericks, accumulating a .920 save percentage and a goals against average of 2.52 goals per game. Quade leads the NCAA with 289 saves.

Desbiens named WCHA Defensive Player of the Week
Wisconsin women's hockey junior goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens has been named the WCHA Defensive Player of the Week for Oct. 19-25, the league announced Tuesday.

Desbiens was stellar last weekend for the No. 3 Badgers in their sweep of No. 6 Bemidji State, as UW defeated BSU 3-0 on Friday night before earning a 4-0 win on Saturday.

On Friday, Desbiens stopped all 19 shots she faced, including 11 in the final frame to lead the Badgers to victory. She turned away all 16 shots she faced Saturday to earn her NCAA-leading fifth shutout of the year. UW's six-game shutout streak is tied for the longest in WCHA history.

Desbiens leads the country in shutouts (5), goals-against average (0.33) and save percentage (.980), and her 1.000 winning percentage is tied for the nation's lead.

This is Desbiens's eighth-career WCHA weekly honor, as she was named the WCHA Rookie of the Week three times her freshman season and was named the WCHA Defensive Player of the Week four times last year.

Clark, Nurse selected to Team Canada's Four Nations Cup Roster
Wisconsin women's hockey players Emily Clark and Sarah Nurse have been selected to the Canadian National Women's Team that will defend Canada's gold medal at the 2015 Four Nations Cup. The duo will miss the Badgers' series against Minnesota State this weekend.

The 22-player roster was chosen following the Canadian National Women's Team Fall Festival, a week-long camp held in Calgary this September.

Clark, a Saskatoon, Saskatchewan native, is familiar with Canada's national program, as the sophomore won gold at both the 2012 and 2013 U-18 IIHF World Championships, as well as winning a silver medal with Team Canada in the 2015 IIHF World Championships. In addition, Clark helped Canada to a gold medal at the 2014 Four Nations Cup.

During her rookie season for the Badgers, Clark tallied 27 points and was named to the All-WCHA Rookie Team.

For Nurse, a junior from Hamilton, Ontario, this Four Nations Cup will be her first time skating with the Canadian senior team. In 2011, Nurse skated at the IIHF High Performance Hockey Camp with Team Canada, as well as winning a gold medal with Team Ontario Red in the Canadian National Championship. Nurse also participated with the Canadian National Development Team, winning gold at the 2015 Nations Cup.

Last season, Nurse led the Badgers to their fifth WCHA Playoff Championship as she tallied four goals and two assists during the finals to earn WCHA Final Face-Off most outstanding player accolades.

The 2015 Four Nations Cup will run Nov. 4-8 in Sundsvall, Sweden. The tournament, featuring Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the United States, will also serve as an evaluation as Team Canada coaches look to fill the roster for the 2016 IIHF Women's World Championships and, in the long run, the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Canada will open the tournament against Finland on Nov. 4, and face the United States on Nov. 5 in preliminary action.

Last time vs. Minnesota State: Wisconsin 5, Bemidji State 1 (Jan. 31, 2015)
Five different Badgers lit the lamp in the victory, as Jenny Ryan and Annie Pankowski each tallied second period goals, while Blayre Turnbull, Baylee Wellhausen and Karley Sylvester all scored in the final frame.

Minnesota State took a 1-0 lead heading into the first intermission after a bouncing puck snuck past UW netminder Ann-Renee Desbiens late in the first period.

Wisconsin responded heading out of the break, dominating play in the second period. Ryan scored her second goal of the year to knot the game at one.

Wisconsin went on the power play with just over two minutes remaining in the period, before Sarah Nurse was called for a penalty. The teams played 4-on-4 hockey for 43 seconds before Pankowski scored as the MSU penalty expired to give UW a 2-1 lead. It marked her first career shorthanded tally.

Wisconsin added three goals in the final period. Turnbull fired a rocket into the top right corner at the 6:13 mark to bring UW's lead to 3-1.

Minutes later, Wellhausen found the back of the net off assists by Sydney McKibbon andCourtney Burke to give Wisconsin a 4-1 advantage. Sylvester wrapped up the scoring for Wisconsin, scoring on a shorthanded breakaway for her 12th goal of the season.

Wisconsin outshot Minnesota State, 55-12, and held Minnesota State scoreless on all three of its power-play chances.

Last Time Out: Badgers 4, Bemidji State 0 (Oct. 24, 2015)
The Badgers set a program record last weekend with its sixth-straight shutout as the Badgers blanked their first Top-10 ranked opponent No. 6 Bemidji State, 4-0. The record ties the 2012-13 Minnesota squad for the longest streak in WCHA history.

After missing the previous two games, Wisconsin junior Sarah Nurse picked up right where she had left off, scoring early in the first period to give the Badgers the 1-0 lead on a shot from the circles that just trickled past Bemidji State goaltender Brittni Mowat.

The Badgers scored again late in the first period, when Baylee Wellhausen spotted the loose puck in the crease and knocked it home for the two-goal lead.

Bemidji State took a penalty right off the bat in the second period, giving the Badgers their first power play chance of the night. Sowchuk, uncovered in front of Mowat, was able to catch a loose rebound and put it away to propel the Badgers 3-0 over the Beavers.

After over 30 scoreless minutes, Sowchuk lit the lamp one last time for Wisconsin, redirecting Maddie Rolfes's slapshot to put the game away late in the third period.

The Badgers outshot the Beavers 46-16, marking the fifth game this season the UW has registered 40 or more shots in a contest.

Note of the Week
Wisconsin goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens now has 22 shutouts in her career, which ranks third in program history and is tied for 11th in NCAA history. Only UW legends Jessie Vetter (39) and Alex Rigsby (30) had more blank slates during their collegiate careers.