Wisconsin seniors Caroline Harvey and Kristen Simms each scored three goals and finished with six points in a 10-3 win over Bemidji State on Jan. 24.
MADISON – As far as Senior Day scripts go, this one couldn’t have been written much better.
It wasn’t just that the top-rankedWisconsin women’s hockey team defeated Bemidji State, 10-3, Saturday, Jan. 24 in front of a packed house at LaBahn Arena, it was the seniors' contributions that made it special.
The Badgers got a hat trick from Caroline Harvey and then Kirsten Simms. Laila Edwards scored a game-changing goal during the final seconds of the first period. And in a fitting touch, a senior accounted for every Badgers goal.
Those performances made for a sweet return home for UW’s first home series since Nov. 20-21.
“I saw the excitement on the bench and it was nice to be home,” Badgers coach Mark Johnson said. “I mean, the crowd was full and they were energized and (the Senior Day) recognition before the game. A lot of good things happened, so it's a good afternoon.”
Wisconsin (21-1-2, 16-1-2, 50 points WCHA) still has home series left against No. 2 Ohio State on Feb. 7-8 and St. Cloud State on Feb. 21-22, but Harvey, Simms and Edwards leave for the Olympics next week.
They’ve all played on big stages and authored some major individual moments. Their skill was on display Saturday as Harvey had her first hat trick at UW, while Simms registered her first fifth as a Badger, which ties her for No. 5 on the all-time list.
They both also had three assists, which allowed them to become the eighth and ninth Badgers record six or more points in a game.
“Early in the game you could tell they were going to be going today,” Johnson said. “What that ends up and results in, I don't know, but now I look at it and say you could sense that early in the game that they were going to do something.”
Bemidji, which UW swept by scores of 9-2 and 5-0 in the first series of the season, came out fast and despite only six shots, managed three goals during the first period.
The Beavers (5-17-3, 2-16-1) would have finished the period with the lead were it not for Edwards’ one-timer with 1.7 seconds to go. The power play goal, which came off a faceoff in front of the Bemidji State goal, came off passes from Harvey and Simms and changed the complexion of the game.
“When you get Laila on the puck for one-timer, it's typically going to go in,” Simms said. “When we scored a goal to tie it, there's only 1 second left in the first. That energy is going to go up in the locker room and we're going to start to roll once we get back out there for the second. It was definitely a huge momentum shift for us.”
The play gave UW the edge it needed – Harvey scored the winner at the 2-minute, 4-second mark of the second period – and the rest of afternoon was marked by the Badgers’ puck control and ability to spread the wealth offensively.
Nine players scored a point. Six had at least two points.
“Once our team pops in a few, we can pop in a lot,” Simms said. “I think it just takes us getting one or two and then we start rolling and playing Badger hockey the way we can.”
Harvey, who scored her sixth game-winner of the season, completed her hat trick with 3 ½ minutes left in the period.
She is the first Badger defender with a hat trick since Sis Paulsen on Feb. 12, 2000.
“It's all credit to my teammates,” Harvey said. "We played such a team game today. We were moving the puck well. Everyone was touching it.”
Simms, whose first goal tied the game, 1-1, with about 12 minutes to go in the first period, scored her second 5 minutes into the second period and got her third less than 2 minutes into the final period.
The effort allowed her to move past Sara Bauer (2003-07) and into sole possession of fifth place among the program’s points leaders.
In the final period Mikayla Zilisch, Lacey Eden and Claire Enright added scores. Senior Chloe Baker replaced Ava McNaughton in goal and for the final 9 minutes and made two saves.
UW attempts to complete the sweep and maintain the momentum it built Saturday with a late morning start for Game 2 of the series. The puck drops at 11 a.m., and Johnson wouldn't mind a fast start and an early goal or two.
“That's what we'll see, but the game isn't complicated,” he said. “If you want to work hard and want to play hard and make it miserable for the other team, you know, you can do that.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin women's hockey nets two hat tricks in Senior Day win
Category: General Sports
