54 // VARSITY March 27, 2014
INSIDE
WOMEN'S HOCKEY
What a run: Badgers end
stellar season in semis
Wisconsin's future looks bright for next season
BY AJ HARRISON @BADGERWHOCKEY
H
eading into the 2013-
14 season, many didn't
know what to expect
from this year's Badgers. Last
year marked the first time
since 2004 that UW hadn't
made the NCAA tournament
under head coach Mark John-
son and the Cardinal and
White lost Brianna Decker, the
2012 Patty Kazmaier Award
recipient.
Wisconsin was pegged to
finish sixth in the USCHO.com
Preseason Poll and seventh in
the USA Today/USA Hockey
Magazine Preseason Poll. The
Badgers exceed expectations,
finishing third in both after
bowing out in the semifinals
of the 2014 NCAA Frozen Four
in Hamden, Conn.
The Badgers' exit came
sooner than the team would
have liked, but the Badgers accom-
plished a lot during the season. Three
players joined the century club, as se-
nior goaltender Alex Rigsby became the
first player in program history to record
100 wins and Madison Packer and Brit-
tany Ammerman each topped 100 career
points during the season.
Wisconsin loses a remarkable senior
class, which includes Natalie Berg, Ilana
Friedman, Kelly Jaminski, Stef McKeough
and Alex Rigsby, but the Badgers return a
lot of firepower for the 2014-15 season.
UW's top line of Katy Josephs, Blayre
Turnbull and Ammerman all return for
their senior seasons, and the Badgers
return four solid defensemen, headlined
by second-team All-WCHA performer
Courtney Burke.
In net, current freshman Ann-Renee
Desbiens looks to fill the shoes of Rigs-
by, but with 12 games of experience this
year, Desbiens is ready for the challenge.
The underclassmen will also be criti-
cal for the squad, as forwards Sarah
Nurse and Sydney McKibbon are primed
for stellar sophomore seasons.
The incoming freshman class is one of
the best under Johnson, made up of Tay-
lar (T.T.) Cianfarano, Emily Clark, Annie
Pankowski, Maddie Rolfes, Baylee Well-
hausen and Lauren Williams. Pankowski
saw time on the U.S. National Team last
fall, playing alongside Badger legends
Decker, Meghan Duggan, Hilary Knight
and Jessie Vetter. The trio of Cianfarano,
Rolfes and Wellhausen are starring on
the U.S. U18 team as they compete at the
IIHF World Championships.
Despite the loss of a spectacular senior
class, the future is bright for Wisconsin.
SCHEDULE (28-8-2)
NCAA FROZEN FOUR
March 21 #1 Minnesota L, 5-3
