The compliment was lodged in the middle of a wide-ranging thought, and it touched Erika Lawler right where she lives.

Mark Johnson, the University of Wisconsin women's hockey coach, was asked earlier this week to identify the "glue" players on his team.

"Who's the one who holds it together for you guys?" is how the question was posed.

Johnson tabbed senior defenseman and captain Emily Morris, lauding her work in the dressing room, and Lawler, for how the diminutive junior center hurtles through every assignment with unflinching abandon.

"When you watch us play, she'll be the first person you notice," Johnson said of Lawler.

Whether it's a mid-week practice session or the third period of a tie game, Lawler's full-bore approach doesn't change.

That's why when Johnson goes to watch his 13-year-old daughter Mikayla play, he implores her to go out and imitate Lawler.

"I didn't know he felt that way," Lawler said. "Just coming from him, it's awesome."

Why would Johnson — who starred at UW, the Olympics and spent 11 seasons in the NHL — say such a thing about Lawler?

"It probably is that every time I go out there, I just play as hard as I can," Lawler said. "I feel guilty when I'm not trying my hardest."

If UW is going to win a third straight Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoff title this weekend — then follow that up with a run at third straight NCAA championship later this month — it might be a good idea if its members replicate Lawler's attitude and effort.

Fifth-ranked UW takes on fourth-ranked Minnesota in the WCHA Final Faceoff semifinals Saturday at the Duluth (Minn.) Entertainment and Convention Center.

The winner will face Minnesota-Duluth or St. Cloud State in the title game Sunday.

At stake is an automatic berth in the eight-team NCAA tournament. Lawler also has a knack for making plays — she leads the Badgers with 26 assists and is tied for third in scoring with 35 points.

"When you can put her on the ice, whether it be a power play, killing a penalty, trying to win a faceoff at the end of a period, she does a lot of things that as a coach you're very proud of and certainly are grateful that she's part of your group," Johnson said.

It's impossible to miss Lawler on the ice, in part because of her 5-foot frame usually is parked between wingers like senior Jinelle Zaugg (6-1), freshman Hilary Knight (5-11) and sophomore Meghan Duggan (5-9) this season. Lawler, from Fitchburg, Mass., is used to hearing opponents mock her size.

"It makes me laugh," she said. "People who talk crap, it's like why waste your energy?"

Just as eye-catching is the fact Lawler skates extremely well and will not back down from any circumstance.

That approach is in her blood.

Her father, Kevin, played collegiately for Merrimack from 1976-80 and coached Erika at the youth level. Her aunt, Kathy, was a record-setting pioneer at SUNY-Potsdam, where she totaled 294 goals and 450 career points.

"She knows the game," Kevin Lawler said of his daughter. "She's always had that energy."

Having her father as a coach left an indelible impression on Erika with regards to effort.

"With dad's, there's always something you're doing wrong," she said. "It got me mad, but at the same time it motivated me to try even harder."

That's evident whenever Lawler steps on the ice for the Badgers.

"She's 5-foot-nothing," Johnson said, "yet she's got a gigantic heart."

When, where: Saturday and Sunday, Duluth, Minn.

Saturday's games: No. 1 seed Minnesota-Duluth (29-4-1) vs. No. 4 seed St. Cloud State (18-14-5), 1 p.m.; No. 2 seed Minnesota (27-5-4) vs. No. 3 seed UW (26-7-3), 4 p.m.

The skinny: The WCHA playoff champion gets an automatic berth in the eight-team NCAA tournament. … The Badgers have won the last two league playoff titles. … UW was 2-1-1 vs. Minnesota during the regular season, 1-3 vs. Duluth and 3-1 vs. St. Cloud.