The No. 2 UW men's hockey team (7-3-0 Western Collegiate Hockey Association, 10-4-0 overall) looks to continue its early season surge this weekend against an equally tough and perennial post-season contender in No. 14 Minnesota-Duluth (5-3-0, 7-5-2) at the Kohl Center.
Coming off a split series against Michigan State and Michigan, the Badgers aim to not have a repeat performance of a poor first game showing. The unranked Spartans shut out the Badgers last Friday 4-0 after UW's typically strong power play unit was unable to convert its chances. Sophomore forward Jake Dowell said Friday's game provided the icers with motivation heading into Saturday's action.
\I think we were definitely embarrassed by the way we played Friday night,"" Dowell said. ""We knew it was going to be important to see how we could respond, so we tried to redeem ourselves.""
The Badgers more than redeemed themselves in the second match, beating the No. 1 Wolverines 3-1.
The key for UW has been getting out to a fast start and attacking the net. Wisconsin is 7-0-0 when out-shooting opponents and when scoring first, the latter of which is difficult to simulate during practice.
""I don't think we can prepare,"" Dowell said, ""but it's definitely a focus in the locker room. We talk about it. We try to make sure that we're ready for the game.""
Sophomore forward Robbie Earl has been a large part of the success of the team's offense. Earl leads the WCHA with 15 points (six goals), averaging 1.5 points per game. He said the key to the strong performance has been the continued building the team does during the game.
""It's being prepared from the first drop,"" Earl said. ""That's a major thing for us, getting off to that good start and to keep building though the game. That's how you play a full 60-minute game.""
The Bulldogs have had an uneven season. After starting out 5-0-1, UMD has struggled to find consistency and hasn't swept an opponent since Oct. 22-23 weekend against Minnesota State-Mankato. Nonetheless, no one on the Badger squad is ready to write the series off.
""They're struggling a little bit right now,"" Head Coach Mike Eaves said at Monday's press conference. ""It's kind of a mystery. You're not sure ... when are they going to wake up. ... The coaches picked them to win the WCHA for a reason-the fact that they're a veteran club with good goaltending and solid defense. And [I'm] not sure what's going on there internally in terms of why they're not having the success that we thought they'd have, but ... that makes you leery because you're wondering when they're going to wake up.""
This weekend's matchup starts a slight downturn in action for the Badgers. After this weekend, UW heads north to face Minnesota State before taking a break until New Year's Eve. While Dowell and Earl said the early season travel and tough back-to-back opponents, including play in Alaska one weekend after playing at home against top-ranked North Dakota, has not been as difficult as one might have imagined, the break will nonetheless be welcomed.
""We train too hard to be tired,"" Dowell said. ""But I think the trip to Alaska had a little effect with the time zones and the long days.""
For now, however, the focus is on the Bulldogs and competing against UMD's solid defense. And with the team seeing so much success, there will not be much of a shift in preparations, Dowell said.
""We come into every game the same,"" Dowell said. ""We know that they're a good, strong defensive team so it's going to be a good weekend of hockey.""
