MADISON — The defending national champions know that every team they play this season is going to give them their best possible game. Winless Bemidji State did that and more thanks to an outstanding performance from goalie Abbie Thompson.
She set a career high in saves with 33 against Lindenwood to start the season, but on Friday night in Madison she absolutely obliterated her own personal best, putting up 34 and a shutout through to frames and finishing the game with 60 saves. Her defense helped her out by adding 20 blocks. Thompson had appeared in just 10 games over her first two seasons before earning the starting role this season.
The Beavers held the Badgers off the board for forty minutes by playing their usual pesky, staunch defense. They clogged up the middle of the ice, got in front of pucks, poke checked, lifted sticks and just generally made it difficult for Wisconsin. But the home team was persistent, did not seem to get frustrated and came out firing in the final frame.
Casey O’Brien broke the stalemate just 50 seconds into the third, putting home a rebound off Kirsten Simms’ shot. Red shirt senior Katie Kotlowski scored the second goal of her career midway through the frame on a seeing eye shot from along the boards at the blue line that found the back of the net. Britta Curl’s tip in of a long pass from Anna Wilgren made it 3-0 and Kirsten Simms’ power play goal in the final minute secured a 4-0 win.
The teams close out the weekend on Saturday with a 2 pm central puck drop.
