MADISON, Wis. — Surge to State College. That has been the message for Quinnipiac women’s ice hockey since it hoisted the ECAC Championship trophy in Lake Placid, N.Y.,  March 7, officially punching its ticket to the NCAA Tournament. 

“It’s very special,” graduate student defensemen and captain Mia Lopata said. “This team has been doing great things all year.”

Part one of achieving that dream happened Thursday night, as the Bobcats defeated the NEWHA champion Franklin Pierce Ravens 4-0 in the Madison, Wis., Regional Semifinal. 

Part two? Defeat the No. 2 Wisconsin Badgers on their home ice. 

The Badgers boast a 32-4-2 record, finishing second in the WCHA Tournament to the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes. Three of their four losses this season were to the Buckeyes and the No. 3 Minnesota Golden Gophers, being outscored 14-5 in those four matchups. 

How did they get there? By having a roster with five members representing their respective countries at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina. The Badgers also have five of the top 15 point scorers across the country, with graduate student forward Lacey Eden leading the nation with 73. 

Four Badgers were also named to the top 10 finalists of the Patty Kazamaier Award, with senior defensemen Caroline Harvey making the top three. 

Wisconsin’s success isn’t just limited to its offensive attack. Junior goaltender Ava McNaughton anchors the Badgers in net. McNaughton finished within the top three of WCHA Goaltender of the Year voting and is top 10 in the nation for goals against average, save percentage and shutouts. 

To say it’s a tall order to complete an upset would be an understatement. But while the task is hard, it’s not impossible. The Bobcats took down Wisconsin 3-0 on Jan. 1, 2023, the same year the Badgers won their seventh national championship. 

But in order to repeat that success, they need to play a complete 60 minutes of hockey, and they need to do it together. 

“This year has been a journey for us,” head coach Cass Turner said. “They’re going to go at it together.”

In net, the Bobcats will need a career game from sophomore goaltender Felicia Frank. She recorded 29 saves and her 10th shutout of the season in Quinnipiac’s victory over Franklin Pierce, marking the 29th game of her sophomore campaign where she recorded over twenty saves. The Falkoping, Sweden native also broke Quinnipiac’s single season save record in that game. 

Frank has been on a hot streak since leaving Hamden after the ECAC Quarterfinals. Against offensive talents like senior forward for the Princeton Tigers Izzy Wunder and senior forward Carina D’Antonio for the Yale Bulldogs, Frank has shut them down.

“To have that much trust in your goalie, it’s huge for the team,” senior center Emerson Jarvis said. “She’s battled this entire year.”

Against a lineup that has six 40 point members, including Harvey, Eden and senior forward Laila Edwards, Frank is going to have to perform at her highest level to keep the Bobcats in the contest. It’s something that Turner is 100% confident will happen come Saturday afternoon. 

“She’s just been so solid for us,” Turner said. “She’s been consistent for us all year.”

Looking to the offense, the key to victory is simple: get the nation’s leading goal scorer the puck as much as possible. While junior forward Kahlen Lamarche had a hot start to this year’s postseason, netting seven goals in the ECAC Quarterfinal series against Brown. Since then Lamarche’s scoring impact has been a lot more limited. 

In the rest of the postseason, she recorded four assists, including a pair against Yale in the ECAC Championship and a pair against Franklin Pierce. Despite her impact on the score sheet being limited, the hunger to score remains the same

“Kahlen’s probably the toughest player I’ve ever coached,” Turner said. “I don’t think much will hold her back.”

In Lamarche’s absence, key contributions from veterans like forwards senior Emerson Jarvis and graduate student Laurence Frenette, as well as freshman forwards Ella Johnson and Peyton Cormier gave Quinnipiac the offensive boost it needed to get to the Regional Final. 

The Bobcat attack will also need contributions from its defensive core. Senior defender Zoe Uens leads the group in goals, with 10, continuing to be a steady force on both sides of the ice. In order to upset the Badgers, Quinnipiac will need every player on the roster to step up. 

Quinnipiac is facing a goliath in Wisconsin. There is no other way to say it, but the Bobcats will enter the contest with the same mindset they have the entire season. One that has won them the ECAC for the first time in over a decade and has put them on the doorstep of the program’s first Frozen Four berth. 

“Believe in the Bobcats.”

Puck drop from La Bahn arena is set for 2 p.m EST.