University of Minnesota Athletics
Scouting Report: Wisconsin
7/20/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS -- In anticipation of the upcoming season, GopherSports.com will take a closer look at each of the Gopher women's hockey team's 2017-18 opponents. Up this week is Wisconsin.
About the Series: Minnesota vs. Wisconsin
Minnesota currently leads the all-time series with border-rival Wisconsin with a record of 49-30-11. The teams met four times during the 2016-17 season with an even record of 1-1-2.
Kate Schipper (2g-1a) and Kelly Pannek (3a) led the Gophers with multiple points against the Badgers last season.
Scouting the Badgers
The Badgers advanced to the 2017 NCAA national championship game but fell to Clarkson by a score of 3-0 to finish as national runners-up. Wisconsin posted an overall record of 33-3-4.
Junior Annie Pankowski led the team with 55 points (25g-30a) followed by senior Sarah Nurse, who had 53 points (25g-28a). Patty Kazmaier Award-winning goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens posted a .963 save percentage and 0.71 goals against average for the year.
The team graduated six seniors after the conclusion of the 2016-17 season, and would-be seniors Annie Pankowski (USA) and Emily Clark (Canada) have been chosen for Olympic centralization.
Meanwhile, the Badgers have announced the addition of Delaney Drake (Traverse, Mich.), Kyleigh Hanzlik (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.), Brette Pettet (Kentville, Nova Scotia), Maddie Posick (Madison, Wis.), Caitlin Schneider (Glenview, Ill.), Sophie Shirley (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan), Grace Bowlby (Edina, Minn.), and Natalie Buchbinder (Fairport, N.Y.), to join the squad for the 2017-18 season.
Last Time Out
The last Border Battle match-up saw Minnesota and Wisconsin skate to a scoreless tie with Minnesota picking up the extra WCHA point by winning the shootout. Sidney Peters posted then a career-high 38 saves while Lee Stecklein scored the only goal in the shootout.
Great Goaltending
Senior goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens posted the nation's best save percentage (.963) and goals against average (0.71) last season. Her 17 shutouts earned her the top spot in the NCAA as well, and Desbiens was named the 2017 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award recipient.
Next Season
Minnesota hosts Wisconsin for the first Border Battle match up of the 2017-18 season on Saturday, Oct. 28 and Sunday, Oct. 29 at Ridder Arena. The slate continues in Madison, Wis., on Feb. 16-17, 2018, marking both teams' final regular season series of the year.
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