Monday State Sports Briefs: UW women's hockey team gets first win in new building

• University of Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin

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MADISON - The University of Wisconsin women’s hockey team won a 2-0 shootout against Bemidji State yesterday, after tying the Beavers 3-3 after overtime.

Wisconsin ended 10 consecutive scoreless periods when Brianna Decker scored in the second period. It was the Badgers’ first goal at the new LaBahn Arena on the UW-Madison campus – and it came in their second game in that facility. Wisconsin out-shot Bemidji State 41-to-21 through the OT. Decker and Madison Packer scored in the shootout. The Badgers have not won a game outright since October sixth against Lindenwood – and yesterday’s tie gave them a four-game winless streak. Wisconsin is now 3-3-2 overall, and 1-2-2-2 in the WCHA.

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The University of Wisconsin football team made its first appearance in the BCS Standings at No. 25, after the Badgers won their third straight Big Ten game on Saturday over Minnesota. UW is 6-2 overall. They also returned to the USA Today coaches’ poll for the first time since September 23rd, also weighing in at No. 25. The Badgers also moved to within three spots of the Top-25 in the AP media survey. Alabama is No. 1 in all three. Wisconsin is now 3-1 in Big Ten play after their conference-opening loss at Nebraska. The Badgers are now getting ready to host unranked Michigan State this coming Saturday. The two teams have split their last six games, but the Spartans have struggled to a 1-3 Big Ten record – and they’re 4-4 overall.

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UW-Whitewater's football team has dropped out of the national Top-10 in Division-Three, after losing to UW-Oshkosh on Saturday, 28-13. The Warhawks plunged from fifth place to 13th in a poll released yesterday by D3Football.com Oshkosh improved to 7-0 overall, and moved up four spots in the new poll to No. 6. Whitewater, the three-time defending national champion, snapped a 27-game winning streak in WIAC games. And the 'Hawks had their lowest rushing output since 2006, with 55 yards. Nate Wara had three touchdown passes for Oshkosh, which now leads second-place Whitewater by a game in the conference. The Warhawks are 5-2 overall. UW-Platteville is the only other Wisconsin school in the D3 poll. The Pioneers moved up two spots to 18th, after blanking River Falls 31-0. Mount Union remains No.1 at 7-0, followed by Mary Hardin-Baylor, Linfield, Saint Thomas, and Wesley College.

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All but one of last year's state champions made it through the opening round of the state high school football playoffs. Defending Division-Four titlist Wrightstown was upset by sixth-seeded Sturgeon Bay over the weekend, 21-7. Wrightstown was seeded third this year. Six other defending champions won their openers – Kenosha Bradford, Waunakee, West De Pere, Colby, Fond du Lac St. Mary's Springs, and Greenwood/Granton. Twenty-five of the 28 top-seeded teams won their Level-One contests across the seven divisions. The only top seeds to lose were Chilton in Division 4, Cameron in D-5, and Darlington in Division 6.

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The Milwaukee Bucks will open the final week of their exhibition season tonight, when they play at Toronto. The Bucks are 2-3 in the pre-season, after losing 102-94 at home to Washington on Saturday night. Bucks' coach Scott Skiles is still trying to work out a set rotation. Injuries are part of the problem. First-round rookie forward John Henson has been out for almost a week after he sprained his left knee. Second-round guard Doron Lamb has not taken part in training camp due to an elbow injury before the practices began. And forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is still getting over knee surgery from the summer. Skiles says Mbah a Moute's right leg is getting stronger as the result of his rehab.

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The Milwaukee Admirals ended a two-game losing streak with a 5-4 overtime win at Houston last evening. Mattias Ekholm scored the game-winning goal on a power play just 51 seconds into the extra period. Houston had a one-man disadvantage, because Chad Rau was serving a penalty for delay-of-game. That was after the Aeros forced the overtime when Nick Palmeiri scored with 58 seconds left in regulation. Milwaukee has split its first four games.

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