Wisconsin women's hockey: Ann-Renée Desbiens named WCHA Defensive Player of the Week

After posting back-to-back shutouts this past weekend, Wisconsin sophomore goalie Ann-Renée Desbiens was honored as the WCHA Defensive Player of the Week. It is the first time Desbiens has won the honor; she won Rookie of the Week twice in her freshman campaign last season.

Desbiens stopped all 46 shots she faced against Ohio State, including a career-high 28 on Friday night.

On the season, Desbiens has a goals-against average of 0.75 and a save percentage of .965 to go along with a 4-0-0 record. In her 16 career games at Wisconsin, she holds a .959 save percentage, a goals-against average of 0.98 and is 15-1-0.

The Badgers have had a surfeit of above-average goaltending and Desbiens has stepped in seemlessly after the departure of Alex Rigsby. Desbiens started 10 games as a freshman when Rigsby was injured and that experience, in addition to spending part of this offseason playing with Team Canada's U-22 team, have given her a solid base from which to launch her career as the UW starter.

"She a brick wall back there, 99 percent of the time," said redshirt senior Brittany Ammerman.