The Wisconsin Badgers men's hockey team will lace up their skates this weekend in Minneapolis against the reigning NCAA champion No. 7 Minnesota Golden Gophers. One thing that is clear in this contest is that these are not the same Badgers that Minnesota swept at the Kohl Center in early December.
\They're gonna see a team that's working functionally a lot better,"" sophomore center Alex Leavitt said. ""Certain players change their games to allow us to be a more competitive team.""
Wisconsin (4-13-3 WCHA, 10-17-3 overall) enters this series with more momentum than they have had all year. Last weekend saw the Badger icers complete their first sweep of the conference season and move within two wins of eighth place in league standings.
It is only appropriate that the next obstacle en route to the playoffs is a showdown with archrival Minnesota. In recent months the Gophers (10-5-5, 15-7-7) have lost their stranglehold on the league, but remain as potent a threat as ever. Coming off of a win against No. 1 Colorado College, Minnesota will have all the confidence they need against the surging Badgers.
""We'll play as hard as we can,"" UW Head Coach Mike Eaves said. ""[Minnesota is] gonna have to win the game, we're not going to hand it to them.""
Minnesota will come at UW with one of the premier offensive fronts in college hockey, featuring freshman forward Thomas Vanek and junior forward Troy Riddle. These players have complemented each other well, amassing 40 points each this season. Vanek, furthermore, has notched 22 goals and is one of the best of the rookie class. The addition of either junior forward Matt Koalska or freshman forward Gino Guyer to their line forms a solid triple-threat.
Judging from last week, however, Wisconsin is ready to deal with any offense it faces. Sophomore goalie Bernd Bruckler played his first complete series in a year and has received nothing but acclaim since, receiving WCHA Defensive Player of the Week honors.
The netminder is not all the Minnesota scoring machine will have to worry about, though. Senior defenders Dan Boeser, a preseason all-WCHA selection, and Brian Fahey hope to stymie their nemeses in what will be their final series with the Gophers.
The Badgers' offense will be out to add to their recent successes. Senior center Brad Winchester, a runner up for WCHA Offensive Player of the Week, will attempt to build on the three goals he accumulated last weekend. Conference freshman of the week forward Nick Licari, coming off of a four point weekend, also warrants the attention of the Minnesota defense.
The 2002-'03 version of the Gophers' defense is not characteristic of past UM squads, but is nothing to be taken lightly. Sophomore defenseman Keith Ballard highlights this unit, which is backed up by inconsistent sophomore goalie Travis Weber.
Weber has posted impressive performances to his resume this year, but holds the worst save percentage in the league. This may present a golden opportunity for the Badgers' suddenly reborn power play unit to keep their momentum going.
""This team knows it can win games,"" Boeser said. ""It's just a matter of going out there and outworking the other team.""
Should the Badgers end their five game losing streak to Minnesota and triumph one or both nights this weekend, it could further their becoming a team that nobody wants to face come playoff time.
