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Wisconsin women's hockey Olympians return for postseason

The Wisconsin Badgers began postseason play with some fireworks in a first-round WCHA Tournament matchup with the Bemidji State Beavers
Kedrick Stumbris|
Wisconsin goaltender Ava McNaughton (30) covers the puck against Maine in the second period of a game Friday, October 3, 2025, at LaBahn Arena in Madison, Wisconsin.
Wisconsin goaltender Ava McNaughton (30) covers the puck against Maine in the second period of a game Friday, October 3, 2025, at LaBahn Arena in Madison, Wisconsin. | Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After eight games away from college hockey, five Wisconsin women's hockey players who competed in the 2026 Olympic Games made their return to the ice inside LaBahn Arena on Friday night. Not satisfied to simply have their return be the headline, all five players made key contributions in the Wisconsin Badgers' first game of the postseason.

In a 7-0 victory over the Bemidji State Beavers, UW put BSU on the brink of elimination in the best-of-three series. With a win on Saturday, Wisconsin will advance to the WCHA Final Faceoff. The Badgers are seeking their third-consecutive conference tournament crown.

Needing four total wins in the conference tournament to win the championship, the Badgers got their first on Friday as all five of its Olympians recorded a point — even goaltender Ava McNaughton.

First Star: Ava McNaughton

The Olympic gold medal-winning netminder shined in her return to Madison. With 20 saves, the Seven Fields, Pennsylvania native recorded her first shutout since November 20, 2026.

Adding an assist on a power-play goal by Badgers junior defender Laney Potter, McNaughton also tallied her first point sine November 20, 2024.

Not done with her impressive outing, McNaughton recorded a save on a penalty shot attempted by Bemidji State captain Hailey Armstrong. Armstrong became the first player to attempt a penalty shot against Wisconsin since St. Cloud State's Laura Kluge did so against UW netminder Kristen Campbell on December 8, 2017.

Second Star: Caroline Harvey

The Olympic MVP contributed three assists in her return for Wisconsin, but, perhaps most impressively, Badgers head coach Mark Johnson believes she has more left to give.

"They played good tonight," Johnson said of Harvey and Laila Edwards, who also logged a goal and an assist on friday. "But you know, there's still another step in both of them."

Harvey, the leader in points by a defender in program history, brought her career total assists to 141, surpassing Sara Bauer's 138. Harvey now sits second all-time in helpers behind Casey O'Brien's (2020-2025) 177.

Beyond her career numbers, the senior is quickly climbing up the single-season Badgers record numbers. Despite missing eight games during the Olympics, Harvey has amassed 40 assists this season, tied with Britta Curl for the 15th-most in a single campaign. Scoring 57 points in the 27 games she has played for Wisconsin this season, Harvey sits in fifth-place all-time in per-game scoring in Wisconsin women's hockey history.

Third Star: Adéla Šapovalivová

After leaving Milan medal-less, Czech standout Adéla Šapovalivová "was so excited" to get back to Madison.

"I was ready for playoffs," the rookie said in a post-game interview on Friday. "So excited to play playoffs here."

That excitement showed in her collegiate postseason debut. Šapovalivová scored two goals, the first multi-goal game of her career, to power Wisconsin to victory.

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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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