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Women's hockey swept in Wisconsin
By Jay Corn
The women's hockey team traveled across state lines into Wisconsin this weekend to take on the University of Wisconsin Badgers in a two-game weekend series. The Huskies, who are struggling thus far this season, brought their disappointing 2-6 overall record into Verona hoping to pull off an upset against the Badgers, but their efforts would fall short in a 4-0 loss Friday and an 8-1 massacre Saturday.
Friday's series opener saw the Huskies manage a paltry 11 shots on goal, none of which made it past Badger goalie Meghan Horras in the shutout. To make matters worse, the Husky power-play again proved ineffective as they went 0-4 on power-play opportunities. Despite giving up four goals, goalie Erin Brinkman continued her solid play in net, and saved a total of 44 shots on the night, 20 in the second period alone.
Saturday's series finale saw the Huskies finally manage to scrape up a goal, however, that's all they would get in the 8-1 stomping. Junior forward Carrie Holldorf recorded her third goal of the season, assisted by captain Kobe Kawamoto at 18:47 in the first period, cutting the deficit to 2-1. The Huskies' lack of scoring could once again be directly linked to their lack of ability to score on the power-play. The Huskies went 0-6 in power-play opportunities on Saturday while the Badgers were a perfect 4-4.
"Yeah, Wisconsin really forced us when we were on the power-play, and the pressure they applied really made it difficult for us to break out," said sophomore defenseman Randie Jelinski. "I know we went 0-10 on the weekend, and it's frustrating to struggle on power-plays like that, but we just couldn't seem to create offensive opportunities for ourselves, and they did, and that was really the difference."
Wisconsin is, without a doubt, a top-notch team in the WCHA, and they are currently ranked 6th in the conference. The weekend sweep may elevate their standing, and many believe the Badger team that dominated SCSU this weekend is going to be a powerhouse come playoff time. Despite their early season disappointments, the Huskies are also possible playoff contenders, and at the 1�4 point in the season, there is plenty of time to make up ground. That effort will be further enhanced with the return of Ashley Stewart and Katie Hauge, both of whom will add some much needed firepower to the lineup.
"We'll get some of our players back around Christmas, and then we'll be able to do some different things and mix it up a little," Coach Jason Lesterberg said. "When you take two top-notch players out of the equation, it changes the dimensions of the team and forces everyone to log more minutes, and over the course of the weekend that takes its toll."
The Huskies will next face Mercyhurst College in non-conference action over the Thanksgiving weekend. It will give the Huskies a chance to get back on the winning track, and turkey and cranberries have been known to energize teams on the slide. In any event, Jelinski is tired of losing, and believes it's time to buckle down and get back to business.
"We're upset with ourselves a little, and there's some degree of frustration about losing," Jelinski said. "But I'm confident the team's intensity level will pick up from here on out, and I know I'm not the only one tired of losing, so don't be surprised if we go on a nice winning streak starting this weekend."
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