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Wisconsin women's hockey sends off Olympians, sweeps Bemidji

The Badger women's hockey stars were on full display in their final regular season game before the 2026 Olympic Games
Kedrick Stumbris|
Wisconsin Badgers left wing Kirsten Simms (27) celebrates her goal early in the first period of a WCHA first-round game Saturday, March 1, 2025, at LaBahn Arena in Madison, Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Badgers left wing Kirsten Simms (27) celebrates her goal early 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

Madison, WI — After a back-and-forth first period ended in a 3-3 tie in Saturday afternoon's series opener, Wisconsin women's hockey put together a dominant five periods to close the weekend. In the remaining 100 minutes of play, the Wisconsin Badgers outscored the Beavers 13-1.

The first series inside UW's LaBahn Arena in 64 days served as a send-off to the Badgers headed to the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Italy. Those five current Wisconsin standouts will miss the remaining month of the regular season to compete for their respective national teams.

One of those Olympians, and a player Badger fans have grown to expect standout performances from when lining up against the Beavers, headlined Sunday's series finale, lifting Wisconsin to a 6-1 victory and a series sweep.

First star: Kirsten Simms

With over 220 career points, the fifth-most in program history, Badgers forward Kirsten Simms is no stranger to prolific scoring performances. She seemingly has a knack for putting one together any time UW faces BSU.

On Saturday, Simms tallied three goals and three assists, becoming just the eighth player in program history to log six points in a single game. On Sunday, the winger bound for Team USA added another two goals and an assist, leading all skaters with three points.

Simms' 95 career goals are the seventh-most in program history. Only three Badgers (Hilary Knight, Brianna Decker, Meghan Duggan) have ever eclipsed 100.

Second star: Lacey Eden

Eden was just on the wrong side of the cutline from USA Hockey's Olympic roster, so she will remain in Madison while her linemates, Simms and center Adéla Šapovalivová, compete in Milan.

Since getting that disappointing news, Eden has been on an offensive tear.

In the past six games, Eden has scored six goals and assisted on nine. Her goal and pair of helpers on Sunday was yet another showcase of her "consistent" play that head coach Mark Johnson has praised.

The Maryland native's 19 goals and 30 assists this season make her the country's third-leading scorer. The only players ahead of her on the national leaderboard, UW captain Caroline Harvey and Minnesota captain Abbey Murphy, will compete for Team USA in February, raising the possibility that Eden could finish the year as the top scorer in national collegiate women's hockey.

Much like Simms, Eden is threatening to become the fourth Badger ever to reach 100 goals. On Sunday, the alternate captain found the back of the net for the 98th time in her career.

Third star: Caroline Harvey

Wisconsin's top blue liner and the national leader in assists joined Simms and Eden as the only three players with multi-point games on Sunday. Harvey added her 37th assist on the season and her 18th goal, tying her single-season career high, following up on her own six-point performance in the series opener.

Harvey's two-way presence as perhaps the best defender in the world and Wisconsin's all-time leading scorer from the blue line will be impossible to replace while she competes in her second Olympics.

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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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