No. 2 UW faces another test vs. No. 1 Buckeyes
MADISON – When Ohio State and Wisconsin get together, big things happen.
In March last year, the two squared off in the national championship game that ended with the Badgers women's hockey team winning its seventh title. The year before that the Buckeyes downed UW in the semifinals of the WCHA Final Face Off. In 2021, the Badgers knocked out the Buckeyes in the national semifinals.
Friday and Saturday will mark the third and fourth time this season the programs have faced off as the top two ranked teams in the country.
In November the Buckeyes swept then-No. 1 UW. This time? We'll see.
The puck drops at 7 p.m. Friday and 8 p.m. Saturday at La Bahn Arena.
Here is what you need to know about the weekend series.
What impact will the series have?
The top spots in the WCHA have been wrapped up. Ohio State clinched its second straight conference title last weekend, while UW sealed second place by completing a sweep of Minnesota on Saturday.
Positioning for the NCAA Tournament is far from finalized, though. The Buckeyes and Badgers are ranked 1-2 in the PairWise rankngs with this series and the WCHA playoffs left before tournament selections on Sunday, March 10.
How is UW better since the last meeting?
Ohio State scored a 3-0 victory over UW on Nov. 17, getting all its goals during the first 23 minutes, and won, 2-1, in overtime on Nov. 18. Wisconsin's shot totals of 19 and 22, respectively, are its two lowest this season.
But that was more than three months ago.
The biggest difference for UW, besides having many of its young players become better adjusted to the college game, has been the return of sophomores Kirsten Simms and Caroline Harvey.
Harvey didn't play in the series due a lower-body injury. Simms suited up for the first game but not the second.
Since then both players have hit their stride. Simms leads the nation with 60 points. Harvey leads all WCHA defenders in points (31) despite missing nine games.
“I think where we are, we're in a really good spot,” senior Britta Curl said. “We've had a lot of different experiences. We've gone to a bunch of different places, played all these teams, and I think we've really found our stride these last couple of months.”
How much will experience matter?
One area Wisconsin can't match Ohio State is in experience. The Buckeyes have 16 players who are either seniors or graduate students compared to six for UW.
Among the veterans for Ohio State are both goalies and seven of its top 10 scorers.
In comparison, four of Wisconsin's top 10 points leaders are seniors or older and its goalies are a junior and freshman.
“Obviously they're a deep team,” UW coach Mark Johnson said. “They've had an outstanding season. They've got experience in a lot of spaces on their roster. It will be a good test for us.”