The No. 14 Wisconsin men's hockey team will have a short Thanksgiving break, as they head to the state of Michigan to square off against No. 2 Michigan and No. 6 Michigan State in the College Hockey Showcase.
The Badgers (2-4 WCHA, 5-5 overall) are coming off of a disappointing weekend at Colorado College in which the Tigers swept UW 4-3 and 6-1.
Wisconsin has not gotten off to a good start so far in Western Collegiate Hockey Association play, only scoring one goal in the first period of all six contests.
However, head coach Mike Eaves feels that the short week will allow his team to refocus quickly on the upcoming showdown.
We will get them back on the ice and loosen up, sweat, get some things done,"" Eaves said. ""Come back Tuesday, Wednesday, and get after it pretty good. I think it is just good preparation for the weekend.""
UW will need to prepare for Michigan (11-1 overall), who has swept its last five series. The Wolverines are led by senior forward Kevin Porter, who has 18 points (13 goals, 5 assists) after only 12 games. Six of Porter's goals have come on the powerplay, a statistic that Wisconsin will definitely pay attention to.
Along with Porter, fellow senior forward Chad Kolarik has 14 points (6, 8) and leads the team with three game-winning goals. Altogether, there are four Wolverines with at least 11 points.
The Spartans (8-3 overall) are in the same situation as Wisconsin, as they are also coming off of a weekend sweep. MSU lost 4-2 and 3-1 to the Miami (OH) Redhawks.
Michigan State currently has three players with at least 10 points, and is led by junior forward Tim Kennedy. Kennedy has 15 points (10, 5), including seven powerplay goals and a short-handed goal.
Wisconsin is led by freshman forward Kyle Turris with 15 points (5, 10), and junior forward Ben Street with 11 points (4, 7). The Badgers also have five defensemen ranked within the top-10 scoring leaders on the team.
While going against Michigan and Michigan State won't be easy, Eaves is certain that his players will be ready.
""The history that [Wisconsin] has had with Michigan and Michigan State [goes] back a long time,"" Eaves said. ""For our young men who have never played at Yost Arena, what a thrill. [The young players] get to see two extremes [this weekend] and get to factor that in to their hockey experience.""
With Thanksgiving approaching, Eaves gave an insight into what he is thankful this season.
""With this group of people that we have, I think we are thankful for that they are a group that genuinely get along,"" Eaves said.
""There is a lot of youthful enthusiasm that has blended with our limited seniors or upperclassmen. I think though we may be in the midst of a tough time here but I think that resilience and youthful enthusiasm is going to help us get through this. So I am thankful for all that.""
Wisconsin will take on Michigan at 6:35 p.m. Friday, and then play Michigan State at 6:05 p.m. Saturday. Both games will be televised on The Big Ten Network.
