It's not hard to understand why Meghan Duggan is looking forward to her next assignment for the University of Wisconsin women's hockey team.

There is this: If the Badgers can knock off Minnesota in an NCAA tournament quarterfinal game Saturday night at 7 at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis, it will send the two-time defending national champions into their third straight Frozen Four.

There is this: Duggan has had mind-blowing success against Minnesota during her brief college career. The sophomore right winger/center has nine goals and four assists in 10 career meetings.

There is this: UW has dominated its Western Collegiate Hockey Association rival at Ridder (6-0-1) and in the state of Minnesota (9-0-1) dating back to the 2005-06 season.

But there is something else about playing the Gophers that has Duggan on the edge of her competitive seat.

"Of all the teams in the WCHA, it's just my favorite game to play, my favorite team to play against because it's not cheap, not a lot of penalties," she said. "It's just gritty, actual hockey. That's what 's fun.

"When we play Minnesota, it shows what the sport's about and it's just a great game."

The sixth and final meeting between the schools this season -- UW is 3-1-1 -- came out of the blue.

After the fifth-ranked Badgers (27-8-3 overall) lost an overtime decision March 9 to third-ranked Minnesota-Duluth in the WCHA Final Faceoff in Duluth -- thus taking them out of the mix for a home-ice assignment in the NCAA tournament -- those in the UW entourage assumed they would be shipped out East to face second-ranked New Hampshire in the quarterfinals.

"Coming home on the bus, when we heard Minnesota, I think we were a little bit surprised like, 'OK, how did that happen?' " UW coach Mark Johnson said.

The NCAA selection committee appeared to set up its eight-team bracket according to travel costs versus equitable matchups.

Unlike last year, when the Badgers hosted Harvard and Minnesota-Duluth was dispatched to Mercyhurst, the assignments were almost entirely regionalized.

"It's a completely different set-up, " Johnson said. "It's nice if somebody comes out and says, 'Here's what we did. Here's why we did it. This is the direction we wanted to go.' But, yeah, people are a little bit confused."

It helps the Badgers that they not only know their opponent, they respect Minnesota, which has won three NCAA titles and is 27-6-4 overall.

"It's a healthy, fun rivalry," Johnson said. "There's no bitterness. The coaching staffs get along. The players obviously get along.

"But when game time comes along, there's an intensity."

Duggan, who has 20 goals, 20 assists and 40 points to share the UW lead in scoring with senior winger Jinelle Zaugg, is driven by the reality she 'll go head-to-head with three good friends: Gigi Marvin, Anya Miller and Erica McKenzie.

"I think it's awesome playing against people that you know because you go harder," Duggan said of friendships cultivated while playing for a series of U.S. national teams. "For some reason, you want to be one step up on them."

Duggan, from Danvers, Mass., has scored eight of her 46 career goals in the postseason. That's a sign that she not only understands the stakes, she 's able to elevate her game.

"The pressure combined with the excitement combined with nerves just creates this incredible emotion that you just want to keep going," she said of playing in the NCAA tournament. "You don't want to lose that first game because you want to have those same feelings as the Frozen Four.

"With the season being one and done, everybody's got a clean slate right now. We have to go in there and, with 110 percent, give everything we've got," she said.