The No. 11 Wisconsin men's hockey team will take to the ice this weekend at the Kohl Center against the No. 12 Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs in a series whose outcome will resonate throughout the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.
Both the Badgers and the Bulldogs are currently tied for fourth place in the WCHA, making this weekend's two-game series an important matchup that could possibly launch one squad into reaching distance of the top-three teams of the WCHA - Colorado College, North Dakota and Denver - while dropping the other toward the bottom of the conference.
I think it's going to a good, hard-fought series, just like the WCHA's been all year,"" freshman defenseman Cody Goloubef said. ""I think we're just going to have to come and play hard, play smart and hopefully come out on top.""
Wisconsin is coming off of a three-point weekend against rival Minnesota, in which the Badgers battled back from an 0-2 deficit Saturday to take a point from Minnesota in the 2-2 tie.
Minnesota-Duluth went to Lowell, Mass., last weekend and swept the then-No. 16 Massachusetts-Lowell River Hawks. The Bulldogs are 4-6-2 on the road this season, but have turned things around as of late, going 2-1 on the road since Jan. 1.
On offense, the Bulldogs are led by junior forward Nick Kemp and junior defenseman Jason Garrison, who tie for the team lead with 14 points. Defensively, sophomore goaltender Alex Stalock will mind the net. Stalock owns a record of 10-8-6 and is giving up an average of 2.18 GAA with a save percentage of .919.
Wisconsin, on the other hand, is led by freshman forward Kyle Turris. The New Westminster, B.C. native leads UW with 26 points (10 goals, 16 assists). Junior forward Ben Street (11, 13) comes in a close second with 24 points, three of which have been game-winning goals.
In the net for the Badgers will be junior Shane Connelly. Connelly has been the rock of Wisconsin's defense lately and will look to continue his strong play this weekend. Connelly is currently 10-10-3, with a save percentage of .913 and an average of 2.5 GAA.
""I used to play up in Duluth for high school, and I used to watch them play,"" freshman forward Podge Turnbull said. ""I think it's going to be a lot of fun, getting to play against a team you've watched quite a bit. It's going to be a battle, and I think we're ready for it.""
The most intriguing matchup of the weekend could very well be the goalies, who bring two distinct and different styles to the ice. Connelly rarely leaves the crease, while Stalock has been known to leave the net unattended for staggering periods of time.
""It's going to be a great weekend. It'll be interesting to see,"" freshman forward Patrick Johnson said. ""It'll be a big battle. Every point counts.""
With points being hard to come by in the WCHA, it will be interesting to see how much the contrasting styles of play between Wisconsin and Minnesota-Duluth come into play.
Wisconsin will try to show some flash and speed, while Minnesota-Duluth will try to grind out two wins or at least a split in Madison.
The opening puck-drop will occur at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Friday's affair will be aired live on FSN North, while Saturday's match will be shown on WISC-TV. Both games will be tape-delayed on Wisconsin Public Television.
