3 stars from Wisconsin women's hockey's season-opening sweep

Wisconsin women's hockey started its season off on the right foot, with a pair of young players showing they are ready for big roles

Wisconsin Badgers center Maggie Scannell (14) celebrates her goal against the Bemidji State Beavers in the first period of a WCHA first-round game Saturday, March 1, 2025, at LaBahn Arena in Madison, Wisconsin. | Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

One-sided affairs between the Bemidji State Beavers and Wisconsin Badgers have become commonplace in recent years. This weekend's season-opening series between the WCHA conference foes was no different as the Wisconsin women's hockey team skated away with 7-2 and 5-0 victories, sweeping the two-game set.

Top-ranked Wisconsin (2-0-0, 2-0-0 WCHA) extended its winning streak over Bemidji to an impressive 21 games. With Sunday's victory, the Badgers recorded a seventh shutout in their last seven contests against the Beavers.

The two programs are currently operating on different tiers. Wisconsin, the reigning national champion, is unbeaten in regulation and overtime against any opponent in its last 29 games. The Badgers entered this season as the unanimous number-one team in the country, boasting one of the most experienced rosters in the WCHA. Bemidji, on the other hand, finished last in the conference last year and has a young roster in the midst of a bottom-up build with only three seniors – tied for the fewest in the league.

Wisconsin still gained two games of valuable experience under its belt. Three of the six members of its rookie class made their debuts, and one scored their first-career goal.

1st star Maggie Scannell nets first collegiate hat trick

Wisconsin Badgers center Maggie Scannell (14) slips a backhander past Bemidji State Beavers goaltender Kaitlin Groess (1) in the first period of a WCHA first-round game Saturday, March 1, 2025, at LaBahn Arena in Madison, Wisconsin. | Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Maggie Scannell logged an impressive rookie campaign with 13 goals and five assists in 36 games. The early returns show her sophomore season could be a breakout one.

The righty tallied her first-career hat trick in Friday's season-opener. Playing on Wisconsin's second-line alongside left winger Kelly Gorbatenko and center Cassie Hall, Scannell turned a pair of awkwardly bouncing pucks into goals early before adding her third goal late.

Scannell scored again on a one-timer, thanks to a well-placed backhand pass from fellow sophomore Finley McCarthy, on Saturday, giving her four total goals on the weekend.

2nd star Kirsten Simms continues tormenting Bemidji State

Wisconsin Badgers left wing Kirsten Simms (27) shoots for a goal against the Bemidji State Beavers in the first period of a WCHA first-round game Saturday, March 1, 2025, at LaBahn Arena in Madison, Wisconsin. | Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Any time Wisconsin women's hockey fans watch a game against Bemidji State and see Kirsten Simms touch the puck, they can expect something good to happen for their Badgers. Before this weekend, Simms had played in 12 games against BSU, scoring a hat trick in three.

Simms' dominance of the Beavers continued on Friday. Just a few days removed from UW head coach Mark Johnson expressing dissatisfaction at a few occasions that Simms "was passing maybe more than she was shooting and getting a bunch of assists, but wasn't scoring," Simms delivered. The senior scored twice in Game 1, including on a two-on-one she opted to shoot, rather than pass.

Simms added an assist Friday and another goal Saturday. For her career, the Plymouth, Michigan native is up to 19 goals and 16 assists in 16 games against Bemidji State.

3rd star Adéla Šapovalivová makes impressive Wisconsin women's hockey debut

Czechia's Adela Sapovalivova scores and celebrates at the Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, NY on Wednesday, April 3, 2024. | Daniel DeLoach/Utica Observer-Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Adéla Šapovalivová arrived in Madison with high expectations, being named the WCHA Preseason Rookie of the Year. Still, few might have expected her to immediately start as Wisconsin's top-line center. If you ignored the name stretching from shoulder to shoulder on the back of the jersey, it would be easy to think that this 5-foot-4 lefty wearing number 26 was Casey O'Brien who found yet another year of eligibility lying around somewhere.

It was the rookie Šapovalivová, not 2025 Patty Kazmaier Award winner and New York Sirens' first-round draft pick O'Brien, lining up between Simms and Lacey Eden on the top line this weekend. Šapovalivová also spent significant time on special teams, serving as a penalty killer and with the number-one power play unit. It appeared to be an indicator of Johnson's early belief in a player he expects "will continue to get better and better as she gets more comfortable and understands the league, understands our systems and how we play."

In Game 1, Šapovalivová tallied an assist on a goal by Eden. The first European-born player in Wisconsin women's hockey history fought for control of a bouncing puck with a duo of Bemidji State defenders before delivering it across the slot to Eden. In Game 2, Šapovalivová scored her first collegiate goal, previewing much to come for the Czech standout.

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