After a stretch of disappointing games, the Wisconsin men's hockey team will look to right the ship against North Dakota with some much-needed wins.
If this story sounds familiar, that's because it is the situation the Badgers found themselves in Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 when they faced the Sioux in Grand Forks.
Going into that series, Wisconsin had started the year 0-6-1 and desperately needed a win. This time around, the Badgers are riding a four-game losing streak and will need to earn at least two points against North Dakota to guarantee themselves home ice in the WCHA playoffs.
""We are almost in the same type of situation,"" Wisconsin junior defender Jamie McBain said about the similarities between this series and the last against the Sioux. ""We are coming off of a couple of tough weekends … We have got to try to get back on track.""
Although the storylines may be the same, Wisconsin head coach Mike Eaves said he sees very few similarities with the earlier matchup.
""It was so long ago,"" he said. ""We are both different teams.""
When the teams last met, Wisconsin posted a tie and a win against North Dakota, enough to turn the season around and start a 10-1-1 Badger run over the next two months.
The team now heads into the last series of the regular season needing at least one win, or a pair of ties, to guarantee fifth place in the WCHA and play at home in the first round of conference playoffs.
Wisconsin stands fourth in WCHA standings, two points above a three-team tie for fifth place, the lowest seed that will have home ice, between St. Cloud State, Minnesota and Minnesota-Duluth.
Senior goaltender Shane Connelly said the team might keep an eye on those teams' games but would concentrate on controlling its own destiny.
""For the most part we just got to take care of, what we got to take care of what we can take care of: We want to get four points this weekend,"" he said.
For Connelly and the team's four other seniors, the games Friday and Saturday will be their last regular-season series in the Kohl Center.
""I don't think it's really set in,"" Connelly said. ""I'm trying to take it all in this week.""
If the team wants to send its seniors out on a winning note, it will need to improve its special teams. In its current four-game losing streak, Wisconsin has allowed seven goals on 21 power plays. Before facing Denver, where the losing streak began, the Badgers had the nation's second best penalty kill at 92.1 percent.
Furthermore, both game-tying, third-period goals scored by Minnesota State came on a power play. Eaves said he does not think those goals were indicative of a penalty kill that lacks confidence, but rather of poor play from Connelly.
""On some of those [late power plays], your best penalty killer has to be your goaltender, and we didn't get that timely save,"" Eaves said.
Wisconsin and North Dakota face off at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Kohl Center.
