DULUTH, Minn. — Sitting there in the grandstands, watching his son play in a Little League all-star game, little did Mark Johnson know that he and the opposing shortstop would cross paths in another life.

It was the summer of 1998. Johnson was an assistant coach with the University of Wisconsin men's hockey team. The athleticism of pre-teen infielder in the other dugout was hard to miss.

"That's a girl?" Johnson asked of no one in particular in the West Madison Little League entourage.

Jessie Vetter, her hair short and hat pulled down low, definitely looked the part. Any doubts were erased when she smacked a home run for her Kennedy Little League team.

That memory came to life earlier this week when Johnson, now the coach of the UW women's hockey team, was talking at length about the athletic prowess of Vetter, now his peerless junior goaltender.

Put a 5-wood in her hands and she can hit a golf ball 220 to 240 yards. That's why she routinely wins the annual Fourth of July family golf outing, which includes a father, three brothers and a lot of relatives with Y chromosomes.

Put a football in her hands, like she does before taking the ice for every UW game, and she can zing it. That's why she represented her freshman class in a halftime punt, pass and kick competition in high school.

Put a basketball in her hands and she knows what to do with it. That's why, when she played hoops in middle school, there wasn't a shot she didn't like.

Put her on a soccer pitch and she knows how to keep the ball out of the net. That's why she was an all-state goalkeeper who led Monona Grove to three WIAA state titles.

"She does a lot of things well," Johnson said. "That's certainly one of the reasons she's been able to become the goaltender she is."

Already a record-setter

When the fourth-ranked Badgers (28-8-3 overall) take on top-ranked Harvard (32-1) in the NCAA Frozen Four semifinals Thursday night at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center, the roots of their confidence can be traced to Vetter.

And why not?

In seven career NCAA starts dating back to the 2005-06 season, Vetter is unbeaten with a 0.46 goals against average and .979 save percentage.

She was voted the Most Outstanding Player of the 2006 Frozen Four and an all-NCAA tournament pick in 2007.

Since the NCAA began sponsoring a women's hockey champion in 2001, there have been three shutouts in the Frozen Four. Vetter authored them all.

UW freshman winger Hilary Knight was flipping through the NCAA tournament media guide recently, and one name kept popping up.

"All you see is 'Jessie Vetter, Jessie Vetter, Jessie Vetter,' " Knight said with a laugh. "I was like, 'Wow, I didn't realize how far she went back.' "

Vetter came to UW in 2004, but didn't see her first action until the second half of the 2005-06 season. She was redshirted in 2004-05 because the Badgers had elite veterans in Meghan Horras and Christine Dufour.

Vetter then missed the first half of the 2005-06 season after contracting mononucleosis. She's been making up for lost time ever since.

In 73 career games, Vetter is 57-10-5 with a 1.13 goals-against average, a .940 save percentage and an NCAA-record 25 shutouts.

'Not like normal goalies'

Vetter, 22, has excelled for the Badgers in part because she keeps it simple, steering clear of the routines and quirks that typically define goaltenders.

"I'm not like normal goalies," she said. "If I don't tape my stick before warmups, I'll just do it after. If I don't do something (intended), it won't get in my head.

"As long as you keep the puck out of the net, that's all that really matters. You just have to go have fun."

Vetter flashes her top-shelf athleticism in a variety of ways, but one seems to stand out.

"In scrums in front of the net," UW senior defenseman and captain Emily Morris said. "She's down on her butt, then the next thing you know she's at the post making a save."

Said Johnson: "Just the ability when she's not in position to make a save. The puck might deflect in a certain area and jump out and, all of a sudden, it looks like it's going to be an open net. Then here comes a pad, or here comes a glove, or here comes a blocker."

A new role

For all her gaudy numbers and clutch reputation, Vetter has had some adjustments to make this season.

After sharing the goaltending duties with Dufour the previous two years — Dufour holds the school records for career save percentage (.941) and goals-against average (1.09) — Vetter has started all but three games.

Learning to play back-to-back nights, with a young team in front of her, helps explain why Vetter has lost more games this season (26-8-2) than the previous two combined (31-2-3).

"She's definitely taken on a bigger role," Morris said. "She's that person that everyone looks to.

"She's taken that weight on her shoulders and I think she knows that we need her."

One more time Thursday night.