For the second straight time in three weeks, the Wisconsin men's hockey team found itself in a battle for fourth place in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. And, just as the first time around, the weekend battle resulted in a split.
The Badgers (10-10-4 WCHA, 14-12-6 overall) had a chance to jump into sole possession of fourth place - and set themselves up with a shot at third - with a sweep of Minnesota State this weekend.
However, UW could only hope for a split after a dismal performance Friday that resulted in a 3-0 loss, dashing any hopes of a perfect weekend for the four graduating seniors.
Defensemen Davis Drewiske and Kyle Klubertanz, along with forwards Matthew Ford and Josh Engel, said their goodbyes to the Kohl Center and the Crease Creatures in the event that the team never returns to Madison during either the WCHA Playoffs or the NCAA Tournament.
That uncertainty has only been magnified with last weekend's split, as the Badgers and the Mavericks (10-10-4, 16-11-4) were unable to expand the gap between them and the five WCHA teams in the bottom half of the standings or catch up to Denver, who sits in third place.
With two more WCHA series before the end of the season - against Minnesota and Minnesota Duluth - Wisconsin still has a chance to break away from the pack and solidify home ice in the first round of the WCHA Playoffs.
Denver is currently only three points ahead of Wisconsin and Minnesota Duluth, and though the Pioneers play Alaska Anchorage and Michigan Tech the next two weeks, they do take on Colorado College - which is currently tied with North Dakota for first place - in the regular season finale.
Minnesota State finishes the season with a series against Colorado College and Michigan Tech, almost a mirrored image of Denver's schedule.
However, hypothetical thinking can drive anyone up the wall, and UW head coach Mike Eaves prefers not to think about all of the what-ifs.""
""I think that is one of those things that is a can of worms, and you open it and the possibilities are astronomical,"" Eaves said.
With Wisconsin's final two series both on the road, the idea of falling out of the top five spots in the conference is not out of the question. Wisconsin has not played well on the road this season but has played much better during the second half of the season. Wisconsin has taken 3-of-4 points in each of its last two road series.
With that newfound confidence because of solid play, Eaves said he felt the team has earned a first round series at home in the WCHA Playoffs.
But whether they have earned it or not, the points will be the deciding factor. The will to return home and the need to win should fuel the Badgers fire for their last two series.
""This place is amazing to play at, all of our fans are amazing,"" freshman forward Patrick Johnson said. ""It's just nice being in your home building, and hopefully we will be back here.""
