Feature: Shorthanded Gopher women keep learning lessons as No. 1 Wisconsin looms (The Athletic)

Returning home to Ridder Arena from a difficult four-game road trip, Minnesota enters the end of October a different team than the one that began the month.

The Gophers face top-ranked Wisconsin Saturday and Sunday on the heels of a four-game winning streak. Along the way, Minnesota (5-2-1, 4-1-1-0 WCHA) swept two in-state foes in two tough environments. The team won a pair of games at Bemidji State before sweeping Minnesota Duluth last weekend, coming back from a 1-0 deficit Saturday with two third-period goals for a 2-1 victory.

Throughout October, Minnesota has been slowly finding its own identity.

“It’s a process. We’re learning a little bit more about that each game, each day that we practice,” senior defender Sydney Baldwin said. “I think we’re just becoming a really gritty team, just fighting back, keep moving forward and getting better each day and keep playing our hardest.”

Baldwin and Minnesota's lessons in self-discovery began early.

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Author's note: I wrote this before the weekend series against Wisconsin. Keep that in mind.