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Wisconsin women's hockey forwards reach career milestones

A pair of Wisconsin Badgers continued ascending the program record book, while another made a triumphant return from injury
Kedrick Stumbris|
Wisconsin right wing Lacey Eden (6) celebrates her goal against Ohio State during the first period in a game Sunday, February 8, 2026, at LaBahn Arena in Madison, Wisconsin.
Wisconsin right wing Lacey Eden (6) celebrates her goal against Ohio State during the first period in a game Sunday, February 8, 2026, at LaBahn Arena in Madison, Wisconsin. | Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With a 4-1 win over the Minnesota State Mavericks, the Wisconsin Badgers women's hockey team held firm in its place atop the WCHA conference standings on Friday night. In the first matchup of a two game series in Mankato, a trio of Badgers had a night to remember.

Top-ranked Wisconsin (25-3-2, 19-3-2 WCHA) is creeping closer to clinching a second consecutive conference title. After the Badgers defeated the Mavericks on Friday afternoon, UW now widened its lead over the second-place Ohio State Buckeyes from two points to five. OSU and the third-place Minnesota Golden Gophers are playing a two-game series in Columbus this weekend.

While Wisconsin celebrated its victory as a team, a pair of Badgers continued hot streaks. A third, made a triumphant return after extended time out of the lineup.

Cassie Hall tallies 100th career point

UW center Cassie Hall scored a third-period goal, cementing the game's final score, to reach a career milestone. After drawing a cross-checking penalty, the junior capitalized on the power play. Hall, using her skate, collected a pass in the slot from Badgers forward Lacey Eden. Hall quickly turned the opportunity into a wrist shot goal, her 21st of the season, setting a new career-high.

Beyond her single-season career-high in goal scoring, the Michigan native reached a career milestone. The goal represents Hall's 100th career point (60 goals, 40 assists). Hall now sits in a multi-way tie with the seventh-most goals in the country this season.

The junior is enjoying a breakout campaign as a feature part of Wisconsin's offense. In the five games since five UW standouts departed Madison to compete in the 2026 Olympic Games, Hall has tallied five goals, including a hat trick in a road victory over Minnesota.

Lacey Eden closes in on history

When mentioning breakout performances in women's college hockey, particulary with Olympians absent, one name must sit atop the list: Lacey Eden. Adorned with a captain's 'C' as other members of Wisconsin's leadership group departed for Milan, has notched three goals and six assists in UW's last five games.

The fifth-year's tremendous stretch started long ago. In her last 17 games, Eden has contributed 39 points, scoring at a 2.29 point-per-game pace. With two points in the win over Minnesota State (during which, Eden peppered the net with 10 shots on goal), she set a new career-high with 58 points this season, topping the 57 she contributed a year ago.

Eden's time setting milestones appears far from finished. With a shorthanded goal in Friday's second-period, the Maryland native became one of only seven players in Wisconsin women's hockey history to score six or more times on the penalty kill.

The shorthanded strike was also the 98th goal overall of Eden's career. She sits just shy of becoming the fourth Badger to every score 100+ goals for UW (Hilary Knight, Brianna Decker and Meghan Duggan).

Marianne Picard makes triumphant return from injury

Following a collision with a goal post during a series against the St. Thomas Tommies, Wisconsin women's hockey alternate captain Marianne Picard missed seven games with what UW head coach Mark Johnson described as a "gut wrenching" right leg injury.

From devastation to elation, Picard returned on Friday afternoon and made an immediate impact. With speed, the Repentigny, Quebec native curled from the left face-off circle to the right, before sailing a wrist shot into the back of the net, scoring the first goal of the game.

Picard scoring a goal, her first of the season, is a tremendous storyline, but her impact will be felt beyond what she puts on the score sheet. The fifth-year is an integral part of Wisconsin's penalty kill unit, and it returns a much-needed center to Johnson's lineup, which at times has had to move rookie Mackenzie Jones from defense to forward due to a lack of bodies.

Picard also added an assist, giving the Stanstead College product her first multi-point game in WCHA play since logging two assists in a win over St. Thomas on January 18, 2025.

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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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