MADISON — The University of Wisconsin women's hockey team is back in Madison after winning Olympic gold, and now the players are transitioning back to reality after competing on the world's biggest stage.
The team drew massive viewership during the Olympics, and Kirsten Simms said the attention was not lost on the players.
"When you see on social media that 7.7 million people had viewership on the game, it's pretty special," Simms said.
Watch: Olympic gold medalists return to Madison, set sights on defending national title
Caroline Harvey said the gold medal was the result of a united team effort — one that never wavered, even when the team fell behind in the gold medal game.
"I mean, that's what we went there for was gold. And I mean, I think it was a great team effort. We were playing so united the whole time, and obviously, even showed in the final game when we went down, we never gave up, had full belief," Harvey said.
Laila Edwards echoed that sentiment, saying the team's confidence never faltered.
"I never got the energy or the feeling that we weren't going to win and that we weren't going to find a way back. And it's just hard to put in a word. It may sound cliche, but we never, ever doubted," Edwards said.
Now, the focus shifts to the postseason. The Badgers begin the conference tournament Friday as they start their run to defend their national title.
Harvey said the Olympic experience has only strengthened the team's bond heading into the playoffs.
"There's a lot of excitement around playoffs now, so this is a time especially when we all naturally come together and, you know, we're united for a common goal and we know that's winning a couple championships," Harvey said.
When asked about President Donald Trump's comment to the men's hockey team — in which he suggested the women should also be included at the State of the Union address or he may be impeached— Edwards said she is focused on controlling what she can control.
"What happened is something we had no control over and we take so much pride in what we did and we love our group that we're not going to let anything take that from us," Edwards said.
When asked about their favorite moments from the Olympics, Harvey pointed to the opening ceremonies, calling it a moment of unity. Ava McNaughton said her favorite moment was standing arm in arm with her teammates after winning gold singing the national anthem, feeling proud to be an American.
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