No. 25 Wisconsin (8-1-1 Big Ten, 11-4-3 overall) will look to take sole possession of the Big Ten championship against Northwestern (6-3-1, 12-4-2) in its final regular season game at home Wednesday. The Badgers have already locked up a share of the conference championship, but a victory would give it to them outright.
Wisconsin has been on fire as of late, winning its past eight games, and has shut out eight of its last nine opponents. This game could be another possible shutout for the Badgers, as the Wildcats have struggled on offense this season.
Northwestern has scored six goals over its past two games, but that has not been typical of its offense this year. The Wildcats were shut out in three of their four games prior to the last two. If there is one player the Badgers need to focus in on, it is junior forward Addie Steiner. Steiner leads the team in both goals and assists with six of each.
The game figures to be a defensive matchup with both teams playing very well defensively recently. Northwestern has given up only one goal in their last four games. This isn’t a new development for the Wildcats, as they have only given up nine goals on the season. The much-improved offensive attack for the Badgers might run into some trouble against Northwestern.
After struggling at the beginning of the year, the offense for the Badgers has come on strong at the end of the year. They have averaged two goals per game in their last five contests, and the scoring has been spread throughout the team in that stretch. The resurgence of the offense has been a complete team effort with eight different Badgers scoring goals in their last five games.
Northwestern isn’t just looking to spoil the sole possession of the conference championship for the Badgers, but they are also trying to better their position for the Big Ten Tournament. Northwestern is tied for fourth in the Big Ten but could move up to second with a win against Wisconsin.
The game, which has major implications for the Big Ten Tournament and possibly the NCAA Tournament, is set to be played Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the McClimon Sports Complex.
