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THE WISCONSIN BADGERS WOMEN’S HOCKEY TEAM ARE BACK TO BACK NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

NCAA HOCKEY: MAR 20 Div I Women’s Championship - Northeastern v Wisconsin Photo by Michael Longo/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team are national champions again!

After having the entire 2020 NCAA Tournament cancelled due to COVID-19, the Badgers had to wait an extra year to defend their 2019 title and, folks, defend it they did. In what was probably the best game of the year, Wisconsin beat the No. 1 Northeastern Huskies 2-1 in overtime thanks to a preposterous Daryl Watts game winner.

The game was a cagey affair in the first period with each team getting nine shots on goal but neither getting a great scoring chance. In the second, the Badgers started peppering Northeaster goalie Aerin Frankel with shots and DID start getting good scoring chances but Frankel stood tall.

Halfway through the third period Casey O’Brien drove to the net and got a shot off on Frankel. The rebound found Makenna Webster and she slotted home the first goal of the game. After 51 minutes of no scoring Northeastern obviously scored a mere 39 seconds later to tie the game.

After the flurry of goals, the game headed to sudden death overtime and that’s when Watts scored her title-winning goal. She set up shop behind the net, banked the puck off of a Huskies defender and won the damn national title. After the game Watts noted that SHE INTENTIONALLY SHOT IT OFF OF THE NORTHEASTERN DEFENSEMAN! It was her nation leading No. 19 goal of the season.

This was Wisconsin’s sixth national title, which ties Minnesota for the most ever, and their second in a row. Watts was obviously named the first star of the game, while Frankel, who saved 33 of 35 shots, was named second star. Related to this, they are two of the three finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Award.

What a frigging season!