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One of the University of Wisconsin women’s hockey team’s top scorers last season is looking for a new place to play.
Makenna Webster’s name went into the transfer portal Thursday, days before the deadline for players to qualify to move without having to sit out a year.
The right wing finished third behind linemates Daryl Watts and Casey O’Brien with 23 goals and 53 points as a sophomore last season. Both totals ranked ninth nationally.
She was a third-team Western Collegiate Hockey Association selection while playing on a line with two top-10 finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Award.
The Badgers have seen one player come in and one depart through the transfer portal this offseason. Center Jesse Compher will join the team next season after a year with the U.S. Olympic team. She played four seasons at Boston University before that.
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Players have to enter the transfer portal before May 1 to be eligible to move to another team for the following season and not have to sit out a year.
Webster likely would have been in contention to be the top-line right wing next season for the Badgers, who have Lacey Eden returning at the position from a season away from the team while vying for a U.S. Olympic roster spot.
Webster didn’t return messages seeking comment.
The St. Louis native was the national player of the month for October after she started the 2021-22 season with 12 goals and 27 points in her first 12 games. She posted multiple points in her first seven games of the season.
Webster produced hat tricks at Minnesota State on Oct. 30 and at St. Cloud State on Jan. 29.
She was the Frozen Four most outstanding player in 2021 after scoring in both games as the Badgers won their sixth NCAA title.
She arrived at UW in 2020 after a decorated pre-college career. She helped the U.S. win two gold medals and a silver in three appearances at the Under-18 Women’s World Championships.
Webster was a teammate of O’Brien’s at Shattuck-St. Mary’s prep school in Minnesota, and they both credited that connection with their success together over two seasons with UW.
Men’s team has portal addition
Forward Ryder Donovan entered the transfer portal after three seasons with the men’s hockey team.
Donovan, a fourth-round draft pick of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights in 2019, scored only six goals and 12 points in 88 career games with UW. He scored twice in the second game of the 2020-21 season but was in and out of the lineup toward the end of the season.
He said last November he didn’t consider entering the transfer portal last offseason. His brother Shay, a Badgers defenseman, did put his name in but ended up returning.
The Huskies thought they frustrated the Badgers’ offense in a victory that kept UW from its eighth straight Frozen Four.
The Badgers blocked 25 shots and got 30 saves from Kennedy Blair to advance to a regional final against Northeastern.
Liz Schepers and Gabby Rosenthal scored second-period goals for the Buckeyes after Sophie Shirley put the Badgers in front.
O’Brien scored the first of her two goals 66 seconds into the game as the Badgers women’s hockey team completed a sweep of Bemidji State.
The Wisconsin women’s hockey team had to rally to start the Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoffs in a positive way.
Goalie Kennedy Blair missed the game and forward Sarah Wozniewicz left early as injuries continued to pile up for the Badgers.
The Badgers looked undisciplined on the defensive side of the ice at times and fell into third place in the WCHA with one game to play.
Drake, Daryl Watts and Grace Bowlby all had multiple points in their last regular-season home game with the Badgers women’s hockey team.
Watts and linemate Casey O’Brien both scored twice but the Badgers had to climb out of an early hole again.
Watts scored three times as the Badgers salvaged a split of a series against Minnesota Duluth.
Jojo Chobak made 45 saves in cranking up the level of scoring frustration a little more for UW.
The Badgers took over first place in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, going percentage points ahead of Minnesota and Ohio State.
The Badgers moved into a tie with Ohio State for second place in the WCHA with a victory at St. Cloud State.
Emma Polusny makes 54 saves for St. Cloud State, which halts a 29-game losing streak to the Badgers with the tie.
The Gophers took 11 of 12 points in the four-game regular-season series against the Badgers.
The Gophers secured the advantage in the regular-season series between the border rivals for the first time since the 2014-15 season.
The game matched the Badgers, ranked No. 1 in Division I, and the Blugolds, No. 4 in Division III.
The top-ranked Badgers went 4-for-4 in killing penalties, including one in overtime against the fourth-ranked Bobcats.
O’Brien scored a tiebreaking, short-handed goal in the third period for the top-ranked Badgers against the fourth-ranked Bobcats.
The Badgers swept a series in Bemidji for the first time since Feb. 3-4, 2017.
The Badgers hadn’t scored more than two goals in a first period this season but scored four times to take control of the series opener against the Beavers.
Close but not enough was the theme for the Badgers during a series in which they never led.
The Badgers lost for the first time this season and had a 22-game unbeaten streak that dated to last season extinguished.
Brette Pettet, Makenna Webster, Sophie Shirley and Casey O’Brien all were credited with a goal and an assist for the top-ranked Badgers.
Maddi Wheeler scored twice and recorded her first four-point game for the Badgers in their first game against the Tommies.
Held scoreless on 56 shots a day earlier, the Badgers broke out with eight goals on Sunday.
Hannah Hogenson made 56 saves for Bemidji State, the most ever by a Badgers women’s hockey opponent in a shutout. But Wisconsin managed to pick up the extra point in the shootout.
The Badgers women’s hockey team earns a series sweep, thanks in part to Webster scoring three times in a 6:26 stretch of the third period.
UW outshot the Mavericks 18-3 in the third period to assume control and then guide the game to the finish.
LaMantia recorded her first two-goal performance in 108 career games for the Badgers.
Casey O’Brien’s redirection late in the second period gave UW the lead for good in a 3-1 victory against No. 2 Ohio State at LaBahn Arena.
“We could have given up real easily down 2-0,” coach Mark Johnson said after the Badgers improved to 8-0 this season.
The Badgers blanked Minnesota Duluth behind 24 saves from Kennedy Blair in their first top-10 challenge of the season.
Watts scored twice and assisted on three other goals as UW completed a sweep of St. Cloud State with a 6-1 victory at LaBahn Arena.
Daryl Watts became only the ninth NCAA women’s hockey player to reach 250 points in the victory.
Makenna Webster, Casey O’Brien and Daryl Watts all scored in the Badgers women hockey team’s shutout victory.
O’Brien raised her season goal total to eight in just three games.
Fifteen of 18 Wisconsin skaters recorded at least a point as the Badgers defeated the Lions for the 19th straight time.
Sophomores Maddi Wheeler and Casey O’Brien both scored twice for the top-ranked Badgers.
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