The Badger men's hockey team did not finish the regular season on a good note, but with the playoffs comes a new chance.
The Badgers (16-9-3 Western Collegiate Hockey Association, 21-11-4 overall) open the WCHA playoffs against the Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves Friday night at the Alliant Energy Center Coliseum. The Badgers defeated the Seawolves in all four meetings between the two teams this season, but those four contests occurred before the Badgers' current skid-2-5-3 in their last 10 games.
\We've taken positive things out of those games that we've lost, and we've had success against this team,"" Junior forward Ryan MacMurchy said. ""We're a more skilled team than them, but they play hard and if we don't match their hard level then our skill goes out the window.""
The series is a best of three, with Friday and Saturday games at 7:07 p.m. and a Sunday game at the same time if necessary. The winner of the series will advance to the WCHA Final Five, March 17-19 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.
The Badgers were upset in the WCHA playoffs by the Seawolves last season, and are not ready to let that happen again.
""We lost to them last year in the playoffs and we want to get a little revenge. ... We just need to play playoff mentality hockey and I think we'll do that,"" MacMurchy said.
One positive that came from last weekend's series with Minnesota-Duluth was strong play by the Wisconsin power play. In the four meetings between the Badgers and Alaska-Anchorage this season, the Badgers have seven power play goals, scoring at least one in all four games. Wisconsin head coach Mike Eaves said this weekend's power play units will be the same as they were last weekend.
""We'll keep the same personnel and we'll just see how they decide to kill against us, because the power play is about taking what's given,"" Eaves said. ""We'll see early what they're trying to do and we'll try to adapt and take advantage of it.""
Due to the girls basketball state championship, the Badgers will not play at home this weekend insteady they will play at the Allient Energy Center.
""The guys are excited; this place [the Kohl Center] has a lot of tradition,"" MacMurchy said of having to play in the Coliseum. ""The Kohl Center is obviously one of the best arenas in the league, but I don't think it makes a difference where we play, the playoffs are the playoffs.\
