On Saturday afternoon, the No. 2 Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team went on the road and shut out the No. 4 Quinnipiac Bobcats, 3-0. It was an excellent first game back on the ice for UW, who hadn’t played a game since Dec. 10 due to exams and winter break, and set the tone for the second half of the season.
How It Happened
The Badgers were clearly champing at the bit to get back out there because senior defender Nicole LaMantia scored the opening goal of the game just 88 seconds after the puck dropped. It was her tenth goal of the season and made her the first UW defender to notch double-digit goals since Olympian Meaghan Mikkelson did so in the 2006-07 season.
Senior netminder Cami Kronish kept the Bobcats off the board in the first two periods, stopping 17 shots, while the Badgers searched for their second goal. Halfway through the third period, Wisconsin finally put the game out of reach when Lacey Eden slipped one past Bobcats goalie Logan Angers and then 45 seconds later Britta Curl put the finishing touches on the 3-0 win with goal No. 14 on the season.
Thanks to an assist she tallied on LaMantia’s goal in the first period, Curl’s third period goal was her 100th career point. She is now Badger No. 29 in the 100 Point Club. Speaking of nice round numbers, Sophie Shirley had an assist on Curl’s goal, which made her the ninth Wisconsin player to have 100 career assists.
A milestone day for these two #Badgers!
Congrats @sophieshirley9 and @brittacurl! pic.twitter.com/wqvAz8nIE3
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerWHockey) January 1, 2023
“It’s really special. It’s kind of a full circle moment, I’ve played a lot with her over the years and she’s a great person so it’s easy to root for her, and it’s really cool to see how she’s done in her career,” Curl said after the game about reaching a career milestone on the same play as Shirley.
Cronish earned her tenth win, and fifth shutout, of the season between the pipes and now sports a record of 10-2-1. “I have to give all the credit to my teammates, they played amazing. First game back, it’s easy to have a little bit of rust but I think we did a really good job and I’m proud of the win today,” Cronish said.
Up Next
Second ranked UW (16-2-1) closes out its non-conference series against No. 4 Quinnipiac (17-3-0) on Sunday afternoon with a 2 p.m. CT game at M&T Bank Arena in Hamden, Connecticut. Fans can watch the game live on ESPN+.
