The UW men's hockey team will look to rebound from last weekend's sweep at Colorado College as it takes on Alaska Anchorage (7-14-1 WCHA, 11-14-3 overall) this weekend at the Kohl Center.
The two-game series will be key for both teams, as the Badgers (8-11-1, 11-15-2) sit in eighth place in the WCHA standings, just three points behind fifth-place North Dakota, and only three points in front of last-place Minnesota-Duluth. The Seawolves are just two points behind UW and could shake up the standings with two wins this weekend.
""They are in a battle for points too, so it is going to be a grudge match for sure,"" sophomore forward Ben Street said.
The two teams split a pair in Anchorage in early November. UW coach Mike Eaves knows the Seawolves are a pesky bunch and will be no easy task for the Badgers to handle, even on home ice.
""They work their fannies off, and they've got a good goaltender,"" Eaves said in a Monday press conference. ""And they play a system that surprised us the first time we played them. They keep three people back, so you're not going to get a lot of outnumbered rushes, two-on-ones, three-on-twos. And you better play intelligently against that.""
The Seawolves are lead by senior forward Justin Borne, who leads the team in scoring with 27 points, 19 of them assists. Two freshmen, forwards Paul Crowder and Josh Lunden, lead UAA with 10 goals apiece and are in the top 10 in the conference in both overall points and goals. Lunden, however, will be out this weekend with a shoulder injury suffered last weekend against No. 3 Minnesota. The Seawolves were swept in Anchorage by the Gophers.
The game promises to be a physical one, as the Seawolves stand second in the WCHA in penalty minutes, averaging 20.3 minutes in the box per game.
""Usually they are a tough team to play against,"" sophomore forward Jack Skille said. ""We are expecting a big weekend out of them. They are a very physical team and are basically a bunch of tough, physical guys.""
One Badger who has stepped up his physical play is sophomore forward Ben Street. The British Columbia native has progressed nicely over the course of the season and is second on the team with seven goals scored this season, including six in UW's last eight series. Eaves has been impressed with the sophomore's progress.
""I think that in watching Ben on the ice and watching him in practice, it's a slow growth but very steady and growth in a good way that'll make him an even more effective hockey player,"" Eaves said. ""His overall sense of the game and confidence in what he can do and understanding what kind of player he is and needs to become to be his best, I think he's settling into that.""
Street believes his offensive awareness has improved over the course of the season.
""I think the biggest thing is that I've been able to find the puck in the scoring areas,"" Street said. ""The timing was a little off then but now the timing is better and that's why I've been able to score more.""
There is no doubt the Badgers will go into this weekend hungry for four points, as they have a chance to move into the top half of the WCHA standings. Along with that, Eaves is just one win away from his 100th as head coach at UW.
The sense of urgency is there—A-A-A-A- couple that with UW's talent, and the wins will come.
""We are going to go in there this weekend with that must-win attitude, and hopefully can leave after going 2-0,"" Skille said.
