Britta Carle captains Wisconsin women's hockey with humor

They returned to the locker room on Jan. 27 at Amsoil Arena in Duluth, Minnesota, and although they led in shots after the second period, they trailed Minnesota Duluth 4-1.

While the history of Wisconsin women's hockey is a resounding success story, as evidenced by the seven NCAA championship trophies hanging on the La Verne Arena concourse, there were some games that contradicted that narrative.

The game in Duluth marked the 25th time in 927 games that the Badgers held a lead of three or more points entering the third period. Up to that point, the team had a record of 0 wins and 24 losses, with only two games coming close to a one-point difference.

When times are tough for a hockey team, the focus is on the captain. Her reaction lets others know what is appropriate for the situation.

“I love jokes,” Britta Karl said.

Then the University of Wisconsin's captain made a joke. This is exactly where we want to be, she told her teammates in the locker room. Another line she used: Duluth was probably afraid of what would happen next from the Badgers.

“I think a lot of people coach differently,” Karl said. “People can be serious. But for me, I just try to be myself.”

With four third-period goals for the Badgers, the game was more than just a window into Carl's two-year captaincy and how she became one of Wisconsin's most successful players. It became the highlight of the season and the kind of thing you pull out during difficult times.

Wisconsin women's hockey scores early and often in WCHA Championship win over Ohio State

The NCAA Tournament begins this week, and the University of Wisconsin's fight for the championship continues. The second-place Badgers will play the winner of Thursday's St. Lawrence-Penn State game at Laverne Arena on Saturday at 2 p.m. for a spot in Frozen 4.

Carl can add to an already impressive resume that lists three NCAA titles and a 10-0 record in national tournament games. She was a freshman when she won in 2019, a sophomore when the 2020 tournament was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, a junior when she won in 2021, and a redshirt season to focus on the Olympics. He was a fourth year student in 2023.

An unblemished record in the NCAA Tournament is rare.

“I know people say that a lot, but my “The stats are there, but personally I don't think it matters much to me,” Karl said. “This is just the program we have here and our coaches at the end of the game. It's the way we know how to lead a group.''It's the same way this season and everyone understands what we're doing. ”

Badgers coach Mark Johnson gave Carl another rarity before the season. Although he wore the captain's “C” on his uniform for the second year in a row, no replacement captain was appointed.

This team has a leadership group beyond Carl, but there was a time when there was only one captain and no alternates. Johnson spent his first season leading the Badgers with Sis Poulsen as captain in 2002-2003.

Betting everything on Karl was a conscious decision that the coaching staff considered for some time, Johnson said. Two seasons ago, Wisconsin had one captain and five alternates, but Johnson was mocked by his coaching peers for having six of the 25 players on his roster letter.

“There was a lot of thought that went into it, and from that standpoint, we really felt this was going to be a pretty good place,” Johnson said.

Carl set a Badgers record by scoring in 10 consecutive games earlier this season, but offensive production is often not the only thing that makes you a captain.

“She's become a really complete 200-foot player that we like to talk about, whether it's a winger or a center,” Johnson said. “She's going to try to do things that other people don't want to do, especially for our cause. So whether she scores a penalty or scores five-on-five, the onus is on her. “What is she going to do?'' She can do it. And we've been seeing it for a long time. ”

Karl has blocked 46 shots this season, second on the team and 22 more than the next forward. She called it fulfillment.

Her goal in Saturday's win over Ohio State to clinch the Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoff title was her 22nd goal of the season, tying her career high she set as a freshman in 2018-19. She credited it to the work she did in the offseason.

One Wisconsin hockey team drops in national rankings, another rises to the top

When asked about her accomplishments with the Badgers — she's ninth on the team's all-time scoring list thanks to her fifth year of eligibility — Carl took a deep breath.

“I want people to remember me and think I acted the right way,” she said. “I didn't try to fool myself or my teammates. I did the best I could. I just played hard and tried to lead by example. That's the legacy I will leave behind. I think the biggest thing, if you want, girls to know is that being a leader is just playing with integrity and doing things the right way.”

Her Badgers teammates looked on for the Duluth leader in what was an iconic moment for the team this season as it seeks its fourth NCAA title in the past five conferences.

Johnson said if a captain frequently has to come forward and give big speeches, there is probably an underlying problem with the team. However, there are times when it is required.

“Basically she stood up in the locker room and was like, 'Hey, we did this. We're going to be OK,'” forward Marianne Pickard said. “And everyone started screaming. It was crazy. At that moment, I knew we were going to win.

“She has a way of bringing people together that a lot of people don't have. That moment was very special to me.”

Forward Casey O'Brien was training in the training room for the first part of the second break, but when he returned to the team area, he noticed an increased energy level.

She said she saw Maddie Wheeler trying to gather energy by screaming in Carl's face.

“I'll never forget that, it was so funny,” O'Brien said. “And when you see Britta do that, even though she's such a quiet leader, she leads by example even more. Everyone's like, 'Britta has this energy? Come on, let's go. This is it. Something is about to happen.’ It was really funny.”

“It was probably the loudest, craziest team I've ever seen in a locker room, which is unbelievable considering we lost by three points,” Karl said.

Karl was on the ice with the top power play unit when Lacey Eden scored 6:20 into the third period. Twenty-eight seconds later, she assisted on Kathy Hall's goal, cutting the gap to one point.

Wisconsin women's hockey learns its way to Frozen 4 in NCAA tournament

She assisted Eden's second goal of the period less than two minutes later, making it 4-4.

Kirsten Sims put the Badgers ahead for the first time with 91 seconds left. It was an unusually questionable game defensively for Wisconsin over two periods. The 5-4 victory was a spectacular comeback.

After the team's nine consecutive wins, the atmosphere in the locker room after games changed completely.

“I felt really fulfilled knowing that I had gotten out of a tough situation,” Karl said. “We stuck to our game plan and found a way to get it done. That just gave everyone confidence. This is the most we've seen in this period where we've been able to lift each other's energy. I think it was fun.”