(UW ATHLETICS) MADISON – The No. 1 Wisconsin women’s hockey team (30-3-2, 24-3-2) surged past the Bemidji State Beavers in game one of the WCHA First Round, collecting a 7-0 win.
Five Badgers had a multi-point game to lead UW to its first playoff victory of the season. This included the four skaters making their return to LaBahn after the 2026 Winter Olympics, with freshman Adéla Šapovalivová scoring two goals, and Caroline Harvey collecting three assists.
Laney Potter put the Badgers on the board in the first period, going end-to-end on the ice to record her seventh point in her last three games.
Just two minutes later, it was Cassie Hall’s turn to show off the speed, finding the back of the net on a breakaway with Lacey Eden.
Šapovalivová made her return to LaBahn by scoring UW’s third goal of the period during a Badger powerplay.
Kirsten Simms returned to the ice after her Olympic hiatus as well, wasting no time with a goal of her own to open the second period.
The Badgers didn’t stop there, as sophomore Maggie Scannell made it 5-0 off an assist from Marianne Picard.
Šapovalivová gathered her second goal after receiving the puck from senior alternate captain Laila Edwards.
With just 6.7 seconds remaining in the second period, Edwards made it 7-0 and scored the game winning goal.
The Badgers outshot the Beavers 50-19 and goaltender Ava McNaughton recorded 19 saves with a shutout.
Notes to Know
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Wisconsin now has nine shutouts on the season, while McNaughton has seven individually.
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Adéla Šapovalivová recorded her first career multi-goal game.
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Kirsten Simms is now four goals away from becoming the fifth Badger with 100+ career goals.
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Caroline Harvey is now six points away from becoming the 10th Badger with 200+ career points.
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Goaltender Ava McNaughton recorded an assist on Laney Potter’s goal. It’s the third assist in her career, and Wisconsin’s first goalie assist since McNaughton recorded one against St. Cloud State on 11/2/24.
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