No. 1 Badgers bounce back against No. 3 Gophers, 7-2

Saturday, November 1

Madison, WI

2 p.m.

Wisconsin Badgers

11-1-0, 7-1-0

Minnesota

10-2-0, 6-2-0

Minnesota

Wisconsin

Photo by: Miles Felix

No. 1 Badgers bounce back against No. 3 Gophers, 7-2

November 01, 2025 | Women's Hockey

Box Score

UW reclaims conference-lead with series split

By: Lily Wakefield

MADISON, Wis — The No. 1 Wisconsin women's hockey team rebounded against the No. 3 Gophers, 7-2, during its series finale on Sunday at LaBahn. Six Badgers scored to improve UW's record to 11-1-0 this season, and reclaim the best record in the WCHA.

The Badgers emphasized quick scoring in the game, finding the net within the first three minutes of each period. Kelly Gorbatenko led the game with two goals on the day.

It took Sophomore Maggie Scannell just 14 seconds to give the Badgers the lead, securing her sixth goal. Wisconsin did stop there with Kirsten Simms scoring a goal just two minutes later to make it 2-0.

Alternate-captain Kelly Gorbatenko responded to a Gopher goal by putting in her first score of the day in the second period, making it 3-1. Senior alternate-captain Laila Edwards received a pass from captain Caroline Harvey to collect Wisconsin's fourth goal not too long after.

Harvey tipped one in through a corral of Gophers and Badgers and made the score 5-1, reversing yesterday's final score.

Minnesota added one more goal before sophomore Emma Venusio garnered her first goal of the season and upped the Badgers score to 6-2. Gorbatenko punctuated the victory with her second goal of the game, putting the final score at 7-2.

Wisconsin contained the Gopher attack, outshooting them 40-21, goaltender Ava McNaughton made 19 saves.

Head Coach Mark Johnson
On how the team responded tonight:

"It was huge. When you score, people get excited, and when you score at home, people get really excited on the bench."

"We talked about what kind of response we wanted after we got challenged after last night's game, and we accepted the challenge and obviously got off to a good start. The effort, the commitment, the things that we had talked about after last night's game in the morning, we went out and executed."

On having a bye week

"It's been a good six weeks, 12 games. You certainly find out a lot about the team after these two games, especially last night. We were able to make adjustments and did some things today better than we did yesterday, and ended up really nice."

Kirsten Simms
On more disciplined play

"Tonight we were more disciplined in the zone, about getting the puck in deeps and on the track as well as the backtrack. Overall, we were more consistent throughout the entire game."

On changing lines

"You can trust anybody on the roster, no matter who goes down, how many go down. You know somebody is about to step up and create opportunities that are needed. It is a testament to the depth of our team."

Notes of the Game

Emma Venusio scored her first goal of the 2025-26 season
The last time Wisconsin scored seven goals on the Gophers was Feb. 8, 2025 during an 8-2 win at home. It's the fourth time the Badgers have ever scored 7+ goals against Minnesota.
Five Badgers recorded three-point games. Kelly Gorbatenko (2 Goals, 1 Assist), Kirsten Simms (1 goal, 2 assists), Caroline Harvey (1 goal, 2 assists), Cassie Hall (3 assists) and Vivian Jungels (3 assists).