The Wisconsin men's hockey team now finds itself heading down the homestretch of the ever-important final month of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association regular season. With only six games remaining, the Badgers (10-9-3 WCHA, 12-14-4 overall) not only look to clinch home ice for the first round in the WCHA play-offs, but also hope to ride into the play-offs playing their best hockey of the season.
However, the Badgers have the daunting task of facing the No. 1 team in the nation this weekend, the Denver Pioneers (17-4-1, 24-5-1). This is the second series of the two teams. Denver swept the Badgers 3-0 and 5-1 the weekend of Jan. 4-5 in Denver.
\They play very well defensively and have good goaltending, so we need to get a lot more shots on goal,"" UW Head Coach Jeff Sauer said. ""They play a very defensive style and hopefully we can spread things out and get more scoring chances. We didn't have Davyduke with us in Denver, so that's a plus.""
The showdown this weekend has overriding implications in the standings as both teams are struggling to hold their current positions in the conference race. Denver currently holds a one-point lead over St. Cloud State in the race for the No. 1 seed in the WCHA tournament.
UW finds itself in the No. 5 slot and trying to hold off the Minnesota State-Mankato Mavericks and Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves, as both teams are hot on the heels of the Badgers. The fifth seed is extremely important because it would give UW home ice in the first round of the WCHA tournament.
""Obviously it's on our minds and it's our number one priority to get home ice,"" senior wing Matt Hussey said. ""It would mean a lot and give us that extra advantage going into the playoffs.""
""The important thing is to get the home ice,"" Sauer said. ""You don't want to travel and try to win on the road. It's much easier to stay at home, especially in the first round where it is two out of three.""
Injuries may play a big part in the weekend series, at least with the Badger roster. Senior defenseman Rob Vega was injured Saturday night against Colorado College and questionable for this weekend's series.
In addition, the knee injury sustained by junior goaltender Scott Kabotoff during the Feb. 1-2 series against St. Cloud State may keep Kabotoff off the ice for Friday's game.
""I don't think that either one of them will be ready for Friday night,"" Sauer said. ""We will give [Kabotoff] another day and see. He's been practicing and has been taking shots all week, but he probably won't be ready for Friday.""
The past two weeks have been rough for the Badgers as they have one victory in their last five games.
Additionally, the suspensions of three players from the Alaska-Anchorage fight have overshadowed the team's recent struggles. Luckily for UW, Denver has also struggled as of late, winning only one of its past five games.
The Badgers look to get back on track this weekend and forget about the events of the past two weeks.
""You just have to forget about it and put it out of your mind,"" Hussey said. ""Just concentrate on your next task at hand.\
