This weekend the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) women’s hockey team is in for a unique Saturday/Sunday series as the visit the reigning NCAA national champions the University of Wisconsin Badgers.

However, heavy is the helmet that wears the crown. While the Badgers sit second in the nation they were just swept last weekend by Ohio State University. Meanwhile the Bulldogs now sit sixth after knocking off then-second ranked Colgate last Friday 3-0 and tying on Saturday 1-1.

“Our stretch lately could be a grind but for us it’s an opportunity. It’s an opportunity to see where we are as a team, it’s an opportunity to beat highly ranked teams and it’s an opportunity to prove that we’re one of the best teams in the country,” UMD head coach Maura Crowell said.

“They’re very crafty in the O-zone,” graduate forward Reece Hunt said about Wisconsin. “So just sticking to our game plan, which we’ve talked a lot about, and playing disciplined in our D-zone will be very beneficial.”

UMD went 3-1 against Wisconsin last year.

The Bulldogs enter this weekend 9-4-1 to the Badgers 12-2 record. Puck drop Saturday in Madison is 4 p.m., and Sunday at 3 p.m..