Badgers battle past Clarkson 4-1, move on to Frozen Four

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin women’s hockey team scored four unanswered goals to earn a 4-1 victory over Clarkson Saturday in a NCAA regional final at LaBahn Arena to secure a spot in the 2025 NCAA Women’s Frozen Four.

Kelly Gorbatenko recorded Wisconsin’s (36-1-2) game-winning goal after Ava Murphy secured the equalizer following a 1-0 score after the first period. Laila Edwards secured a two-goal cushion and Lacey Eden recorded an empty-net shorthanded goal to lead the Badgers past Clarkson (25-13-2).

Clarkson took the lead five minutes into the first period on a power-play tally. The Badgers outshot the Golden Knights 14-4 in the period but the game went into the first intermission with a 1-0 Clarkson lead.

Wisconsin scored two unanswered in the second period to give UW a 2-1 lead at the end of the second frame. Eleven minutes into the period, Casey O’Brien fed Murphy who found some space in the left faceoff circle and one-timed the puck top-shelf where mom hides the cookies. Gorbatenko scored one second after a Badger power play ended with 2:23 on the clock to give Wisconsin the lead. Gorbatenko charged in from the blueline and beat Clarkson netminder Holly Gruber with a tight-angle backhand.

The Wisconsin penalty killers made an impact in the third, killing off a Clarkson power play about halfway through the frame. The Badger…