As expected, Mark Johnson was named the coach of the U.S. women’s Olympic hockey team on Tuesday. He will take a year off from coaching the University of Wisconsin team, which is currently tied with the Gophers for first place in the WCHA standings.

His assistants will be named next month, with the approval of the U.S. Olympic Committee Preparation Division.

BADGERS NO. 1

After the Gophers lost and tied Minnesota Duluth last weekend, Minnesota dropped from No. 1 to 3 in this week’s USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine national women’s Division I rankings.

Wisconsin is No. 1 with 18 first-place votes and 188 points, UMD is second with one first-place nod and 162 points and the Gophers are a point back with no first-place votes and 161 points.

UMD beat the U at Ridder 4-2 on Friday, then the teams tied 3-3 on Saturday. The Gophers won the ensuing shootout 2-0, but officially it counts as a tie.

Wisconsin is coming to Minneapolis — both the men’s and women’s hockey teams — the first weekend in February. Both women’s games are at 2 p.m., the men’s games are at night so fans can catch double-headers each day if they choose.

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