No. 13 Wisconsin men’s hockey’s (15-9-2) will look to regroup against Big Ten rival Notre Dame this weekend after a string of six-straight losses threaten to derail the Badgers’ season.
Wisconsin’s last series — a weekend sweep at the hands of border rival Minnesota — continued their recent struggles. The Badgers have been outscored 30-12 during the six-game losing streak.
The Badgers lost 4-1 Friday night. After scoring first, Wisconsin couldn’t hold onto their lead, something that has become a recurring problem for the Badgers. Senior Tyson Dyck was the lone scorer for the Badgers on Friday scoring on the man advantage.
Saturday night was another disappointing loss for the Badgers, as they fell 8-4 to the Gophers. Minnesota opened the scoring with a power play goal followed by a short handed goal. Dyck put the Badgers up on the board, extending his point streak to eight games. Wisconsin goaltender Daniel Hauser was pulled after the end of the first period, replaced by sophomore Eli Pulver after giving up three goals in eight shots faced.
The Badgers will now face Notre Dame at home this weekend. During their last meeting in December, the Badgers swept Notre Dame in a high-scoring series.
Notre Dame enters the weekend 5-18-3, having won only one Big Ten conference game this season.
Despite their struggles, the Fighting Irish convert well on the man advantage, ranked No. 6 in the country in power play conversion with a .278 conversion rate. They also hold their opponents to a .211 conversion rate. Wisconsin converts at a .286 rate, ranked No. 4 nationally, but has allowed their opponents to convert at a .267 rate.
Even though the Badgers swept Notre Dame in December, they were unable to capitalize on the man advantage, going 0-for-6 on power-play opportunities. Meanwhile, the Irish converted twice in four chances on their power-plays over the weekend.
The Badgers special teams will need to work on their penalty kill after struggles against Minnesota, where they gave up six power-play goals in eight opportunities. Wisconsin will have to play a disciplined game against the Irish to limit their chances of capitalizing on the power play.
Notre Dame scores 2.62 goals per game on average while giving up 4.04 goals to their opponents. Wisconsin averages 3.87 goals per game, while holding their opponents to an average of 3.0 goals per game.
Sophomore Nicholas Kempf is the primary starting goaltender for the Irish and holds a save percentage of .896 with 707 saves in 24 games played.
As the Badgers look to end their six-game losing streak, they will need to limit penalties and turnovers. They will also need to improve plays on both sides of the ice while maintaining consistent offensive pressure.
Puck drops at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday at Kohl Center.
