Wisconsin
Wisconsin dominates all-WCHA selections wtih four players on the first team and eight overall
WIsconsin women’s hockey coach Mark Johnson on deer that hit his car
Mark Johnson hit a deer on his way home from a game in Madison. Both were OK. But the incident got him thinking, and he was tickled telling the tale.
Four of the six players on the all-WCHA women’s hockey first team come from top-ranked Wisconsin, and in all, eight Badgers were included in the honors announced Monday.
Fifth-year forward Casey O’Brien, junior forward Kirsten Simms and junior defender Caroline Harvey all made the first team for the second straight year, and junior forward Laila Edwards moved up to join them after being part of the third team last season.
O’Brien, who became the program’s all-time leading scorer Saturday, leads NCAA Division I in points scored and assists this season.
Edwards is the top goal-scorer in the country and is tied with Simms tied for second in points behind O’Brien. Harvey is the top-scoring defender nationally and has a team-leading plus-72 plus/minus rating.
Senior forward Lacey Eden, who is fifth on the Badgers in scoring and first in power-play goals and game-winning goals, made the second team for the second straight season. Sophomore goaltender Ava McNaughton also was a second-team pick. She has the best goals-against average in the country and second-best save percentage.
Sophomore defender Laney Potter was named to the all-WCHA third team, and freshman forward Maggie Scannell was recognized on the all-rookie team. Potter was all-rookie a year ago.
The honors were announced between WCHA playoff rounds. The Badgers play Minnesota Duluth in the semifinals at 1 p.m. Friday in Duluth, Minnesota, with the winner to meet the Minnesota-Ohio State winner for the title at 1 p.m. Saturday.