The No.10/11 University of Wisconsin men's hockey team will travel to Mankato, Minn., this weekend, to face the Minnesota State Mavericks.
The Badgers (4-4-0 WCHA, 7-6-1 overall) will try to stay hot after sweeping then-No. 10 St. Cloud State last weekend, beating the Huskies 3-2 and 4-3.
Junior forward Ben Street scored the game-winning goal in Friday's affair, while senior forward Josh Engel scored two goals in Saturday's game for the Badgers.
The Mavericks (2-6-2, 4-6-2) are unbeaten in their last two games after a 2-2 overtime draw and a 2-1 victory over Minnesota Duluth last weekend.
Senior defenseman Joel Hanson and freshman Kurt Davis scored MSU's two goals Friday, while junior defenseman Blake Friesen and junior forward Mick Berge tallied scores Saturday night.
Berge sits atop the WCHA for power-play goals on the season with three. Wisconsin has struggled this season on the penalty kill, killing the penalty 83 percent of the time.
Sophomore forward Blake Geoffrion has played well in his second full season at UW, scoring six goals and eight assists so far.
Wisconsin head coach Mike Eaves talked about Geoffrion's play and the confidence it has brought him.
Well, without question, and I think it's interesting that now he's being productive on an offensive scale when really he's been asked to play against the other team's best line and shut them down,"" Eaves said. ""He's settled into the type of player that he's probably going to have to become in order to move on in this game.
""And look what's happening. He's being successful in terms of offense. So for him, good defense leads the offense, but you can see the confidence growing in him, especially, you know, holding on to the puck, making good decisions, and taking what's given when it's there.""
Minnesota State is currently last in the WCHA, and could be the next stepping stone for the young Badger squad, as this is only their second conference road series.
The first resulted in a sweep at the hands of Colorado College, which is currently first in the league in points with a six-point advantage over second-place Denver.
But the Mavericks will not go easy into the night and should give the Badgers all they can handle. Berge leads Mankato with nine points (7 goals, 2 assists), and sophomore forward Trevor Bruess is currently second on the team with eight points (2,6).
Wisconsin will not have another game after the Minnesota State series until they play Colgate in the Badger Hockey Showdown on Dec. 28.
Badgers off to U.S. World Junior Team
Geoffrion, along with sophomore defenseman Jamie McBain, were selected to the U.S. World Junior team Tuesday, marking the second straight season that both have played in the International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship.
Last year resulted in a third place finish and a bronze medal for the U.S. team.
- uwbadgers.com contributed to this report.
