One of UW's biggest sporting events of the year will take place at the Kohl Center this weekend as the men's hockey team (9-6-5 Western Collegiate Hockey Association, 15-9-6 overall) tries to take down the nation's top-ranked team. WCHA-leading North Dakota (13-2-3, 19-3-3) has sat atop the national rankings for 13 straight weeks and will try to make the Badgers their next victim.
It is a big weekend for both teams as far as the WCHA standings are concerned. The Sioux currently has a three-point lead over University of Minnesota-Duluth and will look to keep or possibly add to that this weekend.
The Badgers are in a three-way tie for third place with St. Cloud State and Minnesota. Though third is not a bad position to be in, the difference between third and fifth going into the WCHA playoffs could make a big difference.
\These are all important games and we have to come ready to play,"" Head Coach Mike Eaves said. ""We're gearing up for the stretch run in order to help prepare us for the playoffs.""
The key for Wisconsin is scoring. The Badgers know that they will most likely be outshot by North Dakota's high-powered offense, so they need to take advantage of every opportunity they get. This will not be an easy task, as the Sioux boasts the best defense in the league.??
Wisconsin's forwards have had a tough time scoring goals the past few weekends. Neither sophomore Ryan MacMurchy nor freshman Andrew Joudrey, who were once on the top scoring line for Wisconsin, have notched a goal in the past 11 games. Freshman Jake Dowell has not scored since he returned from the World Junior Championships and sophomore Nick Licari is in a 15-game drought.
""I try to focus on whether or not I'm playing well and if we're winning, that's the main thing,"" Joudrey said. ""We haven't been winning and that's probably because a couple of us haven't been scoring, but I think if we keep working hard the puck's going to start going in.""
All of the Sioux losses have been 2-1 margins this season. Wisconsin junior goalie Bernd Br??ckler, whom Minnesota Head Coach Don Lucia called a WCHA MVP candidate last weekend, may be capable of holding North Dakota to one goal. But North Dakota's tandem of netminders is not going to go easy on the Badgers.
""We feel that [good team defense] is one of our strengths,"" Eaves said. ""Our goaltending and team defense is part of our formula this year and we're going to have to rely on that again.""
Many things need to be done for UW to take away league points this weekend. They need to slow down North Dakota's exceptional offensive players, including junior forward Brandon Bochenski and sophomore forward Zach Parise. They need to take advantage of their opportunities and get out to an early lead.
""We have to match their hard [work], that's the number one thing,"" MacMurchy said. ""If we can match them hard like we know we can, we think that with our systems we'll be able to beat them.\
