The Badger men's hockey team, 8-7-1 in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association and 10-12-2 overall, plays host to the St. Cloud State Huskies Friday and Saturday.
The Huskies, 14-3-1 in the WCHA and 20-4-1 overall, come to Wisconsin after a 5-2 victory over Providence College Jan. 19. St. Cloud, the top goal scoring team in the WCHA, is ranked second in the conference, partly thanks to their powerful forwards.
\We have to design what we're going to do defensively to slow them down because their forwards are the strength of their team,"" Head Coach Jeff Sauer said at his Jan. 21 press conference.
In order to improve their fifth-place standings in the WCHA, the Badgers will need to stop junior forward Mark Hartigan, who leads the Huskies with 23 goals this season.
""We have to figure out a way to stop them, slow them down a little bit,"" Sauer said.
Sauer also commented on the state of the goaltending position. Junior Scott Kabotoff, the team's starter, has consistently played stronger games on Friday than Saturday.
""Scott will be the goaltender Friday night, but we're going to continue to reserve decision until Saturday,"" Sauer said.
