Wisconsin
Wisconsin women’s hockey can’t match OSU’s energy, falls out of first
Wisconsin hockey coach Mark Johnson talks about Ohio State rivalry
Wisconsin and Ohio State play their 14th straight No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup Feb. 7-8, UW coach Mark Johnson explained the siginificance of the rivalry.
MADISON – The Wisconsin women’s hockey team fell flat in its attempt to take control of the WCHA race Saturday, Feb. 7.
In a matchup of the nation’s two top-ranked teams, the second-ranked Buckeyes scored a 4-1 victory over the Badgers at La Bahn Arena to move ahead of UW and into first place.
The teams left the ice with Ohio State (26-3, 20-3 WCHA) leading Wisconsin (24-3-2, 18-3-2) by one point, 58-57.
The game was played without several key players on both sides. Wisconsin’s Caroline Harvey, Kirsten Simms, Laila Edwards and Ava McNaughton are competing for Team USA at the Olympics while Adela Sapovalivova represents Czechia. Ohio State played without leading scorer Joy Dunne, one of four players on the roster at the Olympics.
The Badgers can climb back to the top of the standings with a victory in the series finale at 2 p.m. Sunday, but they’ll need to come out of the gates better, do a better job of avoiding penalties and be more effective at finishing their chances.
“Generally with everybody we need a little bit better effort,” Badgers coach Mark Johnson said. “If you watch the game like I was watching it they seemed to in a lot of situations give a little bit extra effort and that to me over the course of 60 minutes probably made the biggest difference.”
The Badgers would have been shut out were it not for junior Ava Murphy’s goal with 3 minutes, which required an extra attacker.
The matchup was penalty filled. Ohio State had four, UW had five, including two that were almost back-to-back late in the first period. The Badgers survived the first despite struggling to get the puck out of their zone but not the second.
Senior Sloane Matthews’ power play goal with 31 seconds to go in the first period coupled with sophomore Jordyn Petrie’s unassisted goal at the 5:40 mark gave Ohio State all the scoring it would need.
The Badgers, who were outshot, 17-7, in the first period, flipped that total in the second but couldn’t get one through a Buckeyes defense that allows 1.68 goals per game.
“A couple bounces here or there could have changed the entire course of that game,” said senior Lacey Eden, who led UW with eight shots. “That’s just hockey and that’s how it goes sometimes. We definitely had our opportunities. It’s being able to capitalize on those, which is something that we want to focus on tomorrow.”
But in order to do that the Badgers will have to match the energy of a chief rival.
The stakes are huge. A Wisconsin win puts it back in first with two series against fifth-place Minnesota State on Feb. 13-14 and seventh-place St Cloud State on Feb. 21-22.
“I think we need to have a little more pep in our step from the hop,” Eden said. “I think we led them dictate the pace of play immediately. That doesn’t start you on the best foot for the rest of the game.
“I think tomorrow our focus is going to be those first 5 minutes, maybe putting one in by the first media timeout.”
Wisconsin
Wisconsin authorities put total arrests from clashes at beagle breeding facility at about 25
MADISON (AP) — Around 25 protesters were arrested as around 1,000 animal welfare activists tried to gain entry to a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin and were met by officers firing pepper spray and rubber bullets, authorities said Sunday.
Saturday’s protest was the second attempt in as many months by demonstrators to take beagles from Ridglan Farms in Blue Mounds, about 25 miles (about 40 kilometers) southwest of the capital, Madison. They were turned back by officers who arrested the group’s leader.
Owen Ziliak/Wisconsin State Journal via AP
The Dane County Sheriff’s Office said the situation was “significantly calmer and more peaceful” on Sunday, when around 200 people assembled outside the farm. They dispersed after around two hours, it said.
“We’re pleased with the group’s cooperation today, and their willingness to remain peaceful, while still sending their message of concern for the dogs at Ridglan Farms,” Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in a statement. “We are happy to support anyone who wants to exercise the right to protest, as long as they do so lawfully.”
Owen Ziliak/The Wisconsin State Journal via AP
The sheriff had said in a video statement Saturday that 300 to 400 protesters were “violently trying to break into the property.” They tried to overcome barricades that included a manure-filled trench, hay bales and a barbed-wire fence.
Owen Ziliak/Wisconsin State Journal via AP
Some got through the fence but were unable to enter the facility, where an estimated 2,000 beagles are kept, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
Amber Arnold/Wisconsin State Journal via AP
Those arrested included the leader of the Coalition to Save the Ridglan Dogs, Wayne Hsiung, 44, of New York, who was being held on a tentative felony charge of conspiracy to commit burglary. But most arrestees were just booked and released, the sheriff’s office said Sunday.
“No one should be assaulted for giving aid to a dog, even if damage to property is part of that rescue effort,” Hsuing said in a statement from jail Sunday that also accused authorities of using excessive force. “The animals of this Earth are not “things.” They’re sentient beings. And we have the right to rescue them from abuse,” he concluded.
Protesters took 30 dogs when they broke into the facility in March, when authorities arrested 27 people.
Ridglan denies mistreating animals but agreed in October to give up its state breeding license as of July 1 in a deal to avoid prosecution on animal mistreatment charges.
On its website, the company says “no credible evidence of animal abuse, cruelty, mistreatment or neglect at Ridglan Farms has ever been presented or substantiated.”
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About 1,000 animal welfare activists who tried to gain entry on Saturday to a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin were turned back by police who fired rubber bullets and pepper spray into the crowd and arrested the group’s leader.
It was the second attempt in as many months by protesters to take beagles from the Ridglan Farms facility in Blue Mounds, a small town about 25 miles (about 40 kilometres) southwest of Wisconsin’s capital, Madison.
Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in a video statement that 300 to 400 protesters were “violently trying to break into the property” and assault officers. He said protesters have ignored designated areas for peaceful protest and blocked roads to prevent emergency vehicles from entering.
“This is not a peaceful protest,” Barrett said.
The sheriff’s department said a “significant” number of people were arrested out of about 1,000 protesters at the site but did not give an exact total as they were still being processed as of the afternoon.
Protesters tried to overcome barricades that included a manure-filled trench, hay bales and a barbed-wire fence. Some protesters did get through the fence but were unable to enter the facility, where an estimated 2,000 beagles are kept, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde reflects on early March Madness exit
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde said the Badgers ‘thought we could do so many things’ in the NCAA Tournament before it ended abrupty with an upset loss.
Wisconsin men’s basketball has added a sharpshooting wing via the transfer portal.
Miami (Ohio) transfer Eian Elmer has signed with the Badgers, the team announced April 18. The 6-foot-7 wing will join UW with one year of eligibility remaining.
Elmer averaged a career-high 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 49.8% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range in 2025-26. His production helped the RedHawks go 32-2 and earn an at-large NCAA Tournament bid.
“We are really excited to add another excellent addition to our spring signees,” UW coach Greg Gard said in a release. “Eian brings a wealth of experience and scoring punch as a 6-7 wing. … A terrific shooter, his skillset and production fit excellently into our plan as we build out next year’s team. Throughout our evaluation process, our staff loved his size, power and skill and truly believe he will thrive in our system.”
Elmer is Wisconsin’s third transfer portal addition since the end of the 2025-26 season, joining former George Washington guard Trey Autry and former Hofstra forward Victory Onuetu. UW also added Australian guard Owen Foxwell.
The additions of Autry, Onuetu and now Elmer leave Gard’s staff with three more roster spots to fill ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The Badgers are looking to replace much of their production from a 2025-26 team that went 24-11. Nolan Winter is expected to be the team’s only returning starter after John Blackwell and Aleksas Bieliauskas entered the transfer portal and Nick Boyd and Andrew Rohde exhausted their eligibility.
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