• Wisconsin women’s hockey forward Marianne Picard returned to the ice after a knee injury.
• Picard initially feared a career-ending ACL tear, but it was a less severe MCL injury.
• Her return provides a boost to the top-ranked Badgers, who are missing five players to the Olympics.

MADISON – Marianne Picard has torn her ACL twice, so she knew this was trouble.

That is what the instincts and the body of the senior forward for the Wisconsin women’s hockey team told her after she took a hit during the first period against St. Thomas on Jan. 16.

She felt that pain before and the news associated with it was never good.

“Lots of tears,” she said. “When I first got [hurt], I thought it was my ACL for the third time and that’s like a year-long recovery. I thought I was done for, so I cried a lot.”

But then there was hope and then a comeback.

An MRI exam revealed Picard suffered a partial MCL tear, an injury that can heal in weeks not months. From that point, the only question was how quickly could she return to the lineup.

The answer turned out to be four weeks.

Picard was back on the ice for the Badgers’ series at Minnesota State on Feb 13-14 and starred in their sweep. On Friday the 13^th she recorded her first goal of the season and got the primary assist on the game-winning goal of a 4-1 win. On Saturday she had another two-point night (one goal, one assist) in a 5-1 win over the Mavericks.

That was a four-point weekend for a player who entered the series with zero goals and 10 points this season.

The two-time national champion called her first game back one of the favorite moments of her college career.

“Oh my god, it was amazing, especially because I was so on the fence with should I medically retire or should I come back?” she said. “I’ve had two surgeries on the same knee and now I tore my MCL, so it was a tough decision, but I didn’t want my career to end with me being injured.”

Picard’s return was much needed. The Badgers, who are ranked No. 1 in the USCHO and USA Hockey polls, are without five of their top players due to the Olympics.

Her return gave Badgers coach Mark Johnson another option at center. Picard was part of the third line with wings Finley McCarthy and Charlotte Pieckenhagen.

The Minnesota State series marked the first time Johnson used that line combination. It immediately paid off as the three combined for two goals Saturday and one Friday.

Picard’s return gives the team another leader on the ice. In the wake of losing so many top players, Johnson reshaped his leadership group; Picard is an alternate captain.

She also provided some added juice. She was excited to get back on the ice and her energy showed.

“For somebody that looked like her career was over to somebody that gets an opportunity to play as quickly as she was able to do it, that brings energy because she’s excited,” Johnson said. “Not many people get that second opportunity. She got it and earned it.”

While Picard’s injury didn’t require surgery, it did necessitate a lot of work in the weight room to stabilize that area.

“It was really, really hard,” she said “I’m not going to lie. Those rehab lifts and rehab skates are harder than any game, any practice I’ve ever done. But I guess it paid off with [last] weekend.”

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Wisconsin’s Picard, McCarthy explain importance of winning the WCHA

Wisconsin’s Marianne Picard and Finley McCarthy explain why they want to win the WCHA title with five players competing in the Olympics..

It could pay off this weekend, too.

Wisconsin (27-3-2, 21-3-2 – 66 points) enters the final two games of the regular season with a two-point lead over Ohio State in the WCHA standings. Barring an Ohio State loss to last-place Bemidji State, the Badgers will need to sweep fifth-place St. Cloud State on Feb. 21-22 to claim their second straight regular-season title.

It would be a significant accomplishment for a team that lost more than any other in the country to the Olympics.

“I think that’s why we want to win so bad,” Picard said. “We call each other the B-Squad. We kind of made it when the Olympians are not there, we’re the B-Squad, and we want to win for them. We don’t want all the work that they’ve done this season to just go to shreds because they’re gone.”