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Wisconsin Women's Hockey 2025-2026

robertearle said:
The simple question should be "where is she more valuable to the UW team, forward, or defender?". And the answer to that is utterly obvious. That she played D at the Olympics should not factor in one bit. Wisconsin is a better team when Laila is playing forward.
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That answer is indeed utterly obvious, which is why the conversation is not about that.
 
As long as we all agree on where Laila should play, I think we're good.

It's a valid conversation to discuss the makeup of a D core. Diversity and different strengths are a good thing as long as the deficiencies aren't overwhelming.

Shot blockers... stay at home... sandpaper... offensive ability... physicality... speed... puck moving...

KK has enough offensive ability in her game (far more than Laila from the backline) that she makes our defensive core better/different than most others at the college level - all by herself. We don't need more offense back there. We need stability and poise so that our forwards can do their job.

Laila at forward along with the others gives us the best, most potent offense in the country without question. That's where we need her.
 
davearm said:
Not a single person here would take Juengels over Harvey, if that was the choice.
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A super offense minded defenseman is an absolute luxury and can change the dynamics of a game instantly.
Harvey is that player because she simply is a gifted skater that can rush the puck and get back most often effortlessly.
The problem is that the others see this and think they can also do that.
Potter is the closest to being able…. The rest forget about it and play D.
 
davearm said:
Not a single person here would take Juengels over Harvey, if that was the choice.
Click to expand...
A super offense minded defenseman is an absolute luxury and can change the dynamics of a game instantly.
Harvey is that player because she simply is a gifted skater that can rush the puck and get back most often effortlessly.
The problem is that the others see this and think they can also do that.
Potter is the closest to being able…. The rest forget about it and play D.
 
BuckyB said:
A super offense minded defenseman is an absolute luxury and can change the dynamics of a game instantly.
Harvey is that player because she simply is a gifted skater that can rush the puck and get back most often effortlessly.
The problem is that the others see this and think they can also do that.
Potter is the closest to being able…. The rest forget about it and play D.
Click to expand...
And nobody here would take Juengels' steady defensive presence over KK's game-breaking ability.

Just as no Avalanche fan would choose Devon Toews ahead of Cale Makar.

Why? Because offense matters, despite earlier comments to the contrary.
 
It has been interesting to me over the years how Wisconsin's D could contribute offensively without sacrificing that much defensively. Teams like BC would have D that were constantly joining the rush. That was great when they played overmatched teams in their league, and the Eagles capitalized on 4-on-2 breaks. Then they'd try the same approach against top teams from the ECAC or WCHA, and they'd get burned by the O-first approach.

Meanwhile, the Badgers had a history of high-quality D like Carla MacLeod, Bobbi-Jo Slusar, Stefanie McKeough, and Mekenzie Steffen who stayed home and efficiently distributed the puck where it was supposed to go. They didn't wind up in the highlights all the time, but their teams sure did win a lot, often because of what they did on the ice.
 
Are we saying the issues the Badgers have are all about defense? That doesn't bode well for the associate head coach - in charge of defense - as the heir apparent for the head coaching role.
 
I am accustomed to being around a passionate fan base that has everything about the team under a microscope. Some players and many/most coaches hate having to deal with that kind of scrutiny. The good ones embrace it and use it as fuel. It is hard to tell if this group is even aware of what the fan base thinks or how they respond to fans' feelings other than by saying polite, superficial, and largely irrelevant things.
 
Interesting 1st period. Franklin Pierce not looking intimidated, etc. #8 for Q leaking out like she's Abbey Murphy waiting for the stretch pass. We'll see how long Pierce can keep it up
 
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