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Voters Reward Badger Women's Hockey for Season-Opening Sweep

Wisconsin women's hockey separated itself in the polls after a pair of road wins to open the season, despite its injured goaltender
Kedrick Stumbris|
Wisconsin goaltender Ava McNaughton knocks away a shot from Bemidji State during a first-round WCHA playoff game Feb. 27, 2026 at LaBahn Arena in Madison, Wis. Wisconsin won, 7-0.
Wisconsin goaltender Ava McNaughton knocks away a shot from Bemidji State during a first-round WCHA playoff game Feb. 27, 2026 at LaBahn Arena in Madison, Wis. Wisconsin won, 7-0. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

After opening the preseason polls as the top-ranked team in the nation, Wisconsin women's hockey did not have much room to move up. With 11 fresh faces suiting up for last weekend,
the No. 1 Wisconsin Badgers (2-0-0, 0-0-0 WCHA) snagged a pair of victories, leaving a few voters more impressed with the reigning back-to-back national champions.

Despite falling behind by two goals in Friday night's season-opener, UW cruised to a comfortable 6-2 win before notching a 6-0 shutout victory on Saturday. On the road against the St. Lawrence Saints, a shorthanded Wisconsin stumbled defensively at times with blue-liners Ava Murphy and Mackenzie Jones out of the lineup. Still, the Badgers found a way to improve throughout the weekend even after starting goaltender Ava McNaughton exited with an apparent lower-body injury.

Wisconsin women's hockey distances itself from No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes

Sophomore netminder Rhyah Stewart stopped all 26 shots she faced over the weekend, helping her team increase its share of No. 1 votes in both the USCHO.com and USA Hockey polls. The No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes earned a pair of 2-1 victories over the No. 4 Penn State Nittany Lions to open their season, needing overtime in the series opener to get the win.

Wisconsin and Ohio State have met in each of the past four national title games, with UW capturing three of the last four national titles. The WCHA conference foes figure to again be on a collision course to meet late in the season with the Buckeyes picked to finish first in the league's coaches poll, followed by the Badgers.

Elsewhere in the WCHA, the St. Cloud State Huskies swept their canine counterparts from No. 12/11 UConn, earning a pair of 4-2 wins. Previously-unranked SCSU entered the rankings at No. 13, becoming the sixth WCHA team in the top 15.

Wisconsin resumes play this weekend, welcoming Badgers fans back to LaBahn Arena for its home opener against the Boston University Terriers at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 1st. Prior to puck drop, UW will raise its 2026 NCAA Championship banner. The Badgers and Terriers close out the weekend in the series finale at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, October 2nd.

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Kedrick Stumbris
KEDRICK STUMBRIS

Kedrick Stumbris has covered the Wisconsin Badgers since 2022 with a focus on the Badgers football, men's basketball, and women's hockey programs. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science.

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