Across four seasons with the Badgers she tallied 99 wins in 122 games, a career save percentage of .963, and a goals-against average of 0.71. She broke the NCAA record for career shutouts across both men's and women's hockey with 56, and set the single-season record with 21. She won the Patty Kazmaier Award in 2017 and completed a master's degree in accounting while all of it was happening. "We talk a lot as athletes that you play like you practice," she said. "If you don't compete in practice, you can't expect to compete in a game. It's not like a switch you turn on and off." The records mattered to her insofar as they reflected preparation. The preparation was the point.

On February 8, 2022, in a preliminary round game at the Beijing Winter Olympics, Desbiens made 51 saves against the United States, the most ever by a Canadian goaltender in an Olympic match. Nine days later, in the gold medal game against the same opponent, she stopped 38 of 40 shots, allowing just nine goals across the entire tournament on 150 shots. Canada won gold. The goaltender who had been cut before playing a single junior game had authored one of the most dominant Olympic goaltending performances in the history of the sport. Ann-Renée has a dog named Bamboo, does puzzles, and enjoys road cycling, a sweet, ordinary life off the ice, considering the extraordinary things she does on it.