WENTZVILLE, Mo. – The No. 3 Wisconsin women’s hockey team scored seven straight to claim a 7-2 victory against Lindenwood on Friday night. The Badgers (2-0-1) spoiled the Lady Lions (0-3-0) home opener as Brianna Decker scored her eighth career hat trick.

After a sluggish start, the UW offense started heating up and Wisconsin never looked back.

Lindenwood claimed a 2-0 lead within the first four minutes of the game, feeding off the energy of the home crowd. However, Decker scored halfway through the first period after a turnover in the neutral zone to cut the deficit in half.

Minutes later, in a familiar fashion, a turnover at center ice gave Kelly Jaminski a lane to the net. Jaminski carried the puck in, beating a Lindenwood defenseman and scored to tie the game up with 4:50 remaining in the first period.

Wisconsin’s special teams took over in the last two periods, with four goals coming off the power play and one off a penalty shot.

Madison Packer started the Badgers off with a power play goal less than three minutes into the second period. Decker worked the puck up to Saige Pacholok who took a shot from the point. Packer collected the rebound for her first goal of the season. Decker helped create a goal on another power play just five minutes later, this time connecting with Courtney Burke on the blue line. Burke fired a shot that was redirected by Packer in front of the net.

In the final minutes of the second period, a loose puck found its way behind Lindenwood goalie Nicole Hensley. With the puck sitting inches from the goal line, defenseman Kendra Broad jumped on the puck, but was ruled to have covered it in the crease, resulting in a penalty shot.

Decker took the penalty shot for the Badgers and after a simple shoulder fake, easily skated around Hensley for her second goal of the game.

Starting off the third period, Packer returned the favor to Decker on the power play, feeding her a back-door pass to finish the senior’s hat trick. Pacholok also received credit for an assist on the goal.

The Badgers capped off the brilliant offense with a final power-play goal, as Karley Sylvester scored her first goal of the season. Defensemen Jordan Brickner and Courtney Burke worked the puck up top, with Burke taking a shot that was deflected on top of the crease by Sylvester for the goal.

In all, the Badgers went 4-7 (.571) on the power play while successfully killing off all four of their own penalties.

Junior Alex Rigsby backstopped the Badgers making a total of 20 saves in the contest. The Lady Lions never stopped pressing and Rigsby was forced to make eight saves in the third period.

The Badgers wrap up the series against Lindenwood tomorrow at 2 p.m.