Columnists

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There’s no spoilin’ SXSW

I still vividly remember going to see “Super Bad” back in my senior year of high school with my friends who were kind enough to chauffeur me to an opening-night screening in the wake of my wisdom-teeth removal. For weeks leading up to the release, I must have watched the unrated “redband” trailer on YouTube over a dozen times and was bombarded with the abbreviated television-ad even more frequently. When I finally got to see the flick, I obviously laughed my ass off (the pain killers from my surgery the day before made sure of that). However, I couldn’t help but feel like I would have enjoyed the movie significantly more if I had gone into it without seeing its best jokes excerpted and played out of context, over and over. I knew what to expect. I was perpetually waiting for the punch lines and the memorable plot points I knew were coming, trying to place them into the narrative still unfolding.

Women's Hockey: Patty Kazmaier Award made for Decker

With a national championship and the highest individual honor in collegiate women’s hockey up for grabs, this coming weekend has the potential to be the high-water mark for Brianna Decker’s career. As the junior forward gets ready to lead her team into the NCAA semifinal Friday afternoon against Boston College, she is also one of three finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award given to the most outstanding player in the game.

David reports from SXSW's Film Fest

South by Southwest’s film portion runs from March 9-17 this year, and the Cardinal’s own film columnist David Cottrell is in Austin taking it all in.

The death of the mom-and-pop shop

The local music mom-and-pop shop is dying and that’s a damn shame.

Column: Future bright for Wisconsin men's hockey team

All things considered, 2011-’12 was a forgettable season for the Wisconsin men’s hockey team.

Softball: Spence’s big weekend at the plate garners Big Ten honors

An impressive performance at the plate at the Wolf Pack Softball Classic in Reno, Nev. this past weekend earned Wisconsin softball junior designated player Molly Spence Big Ten Player of the Week honors Monday.

Men's Hockey: Overtime loss ends Badgers’ season

Coming into the WCHA playoffs the Wisconsin men’s hockey team was riding a wave of momentum, but in the end that renewed confidence wasn’t enough to push the Badgers past No. 9 Denver on the road in their first-round WCHA match-up.

Men's Hockey: Coming of age

Over the course of the Wisconsin men’s hockey season, the team’s nine-member 2011-’12 freshmen class has grown up before our eyes, but maybe none more so than freshman forward Brendan Woods.

Column: Facing the situation: violence is the backbone of the NFL

Something great happened at the Daytona 500 a few weeks ago.

Men's Hockey: Badgers’ confidence at a high

Encouraged by its results at the end of the regular season the Wisconsin men’s hockey team (11-15-2 WCHA, 16-16-2 overall) heads into it’s road WCHA playoff series with No. 9 Denver (16-8-4, 21-11-4) with what head coach Mike Eaves calls “legitimate” confidence.

Wherefore art thou, drummer boy?

Every once in a while it is required that a columnist takes out a personal frustration in print, for everyone to see and comment on. Once a week usually does it. So what has me pulling my hair out this week?

Men's Hockey: Wisconsin splits with rival Gophers to end regular season

MINNEAPOLIS—Playing in an atmosphere with a distinctly postseason feel, the Wisconsin men’s hockey team (11-15-2 WCHA, 16-16-2 overall) continued its push toward the playoffs, earning a confidence-building series split with rival No. 4 Minnesota (20-8-0, 24-12-1) to close out the regular season.

Women's Hockey: Badgers fall to Duluth in Final Face-Off first round

DULUTH, Minn.—For almost the entire regular season, the Wisconsin women’s hockey team appeared close to invincible. But after falling to Minnesota-Duluth 3-1 in the opening game of the WCHA Final Face-Off Friday, a game in which the Badgers seemed unprepared for their motivated opponent, Wisconsin has now lost two of its past four games heading into the NCAA tournament.

Curtains up: Independent film at SXSW

This Friday I’ll be trading in the determinedly snowy streets of Madison for the sun-scorched roads of Austin, Texas to attend the 2012 South by Southwest festival with a few of my fellow Cardinal writers. Some call it the ultimate spring break for nerds, others a colossal celebration of all aspects of millennial culture. That includes music, technology and of course, where I will be most concerned, film. Considering that in 2007, SXSW served as the launching pad for the now ubiquitous social networking service Twitter, who knows what world-changing creative properties will debut this year, changing life, and our use of hash tags, as we know it forever.

Men's Hockey: Badgers saved best for last

In its last series of the regular season the Wisconsin men’s hockey team (10-14-2 WCHA, 15-15-2 overall) is looking to continue building on its current momentum as it travels west for a matchup with its bitter border rival No. 4 Minnesota (19-7-0, 23-11-1).

Men's Hockey: Badgers hopeful that momentum will lead to postseason run

With the start of the WCHA playoffs looming two weekends from now, the Wisconsin men’s hockey team (10-14-2 WCHA, 15-15-2 overall) is beginning to charge up for what it hopes will be a deep playoff run.

Column: Minnesota taxpayers lose in deal for new Vikings stadium

Here in the land of the Packers and Badgers, it’s not often that we cast a sympathetic eye toward the land of 10,000 lakes. Now might be a good time to start, though, as the Minnesota Vikings seem to have taken a literal understanding of their mascot and are in the process of pillaging our neighbors to the northwest.

Madly in love with Butch, and proud of it

How to replace your resident film nerd

Awards season for movie releases has come and gone, along with the Oscars themselves. After catching up on the last few intriguing winners that you’ve yet to see, there won’t be much left playing in the theaters with any real draw for awhile. We’ve officially entered that barren cinematic tundra that comes around at the start of every year, that miserable period of arctic chill after all the winter magic has come and gone, leaving us with nothing but dirty snow and foul movies.

Men's Hockey: In search of road wins

Playing away from Madison has not been kind to the Wisconsin men’s hockey team (8-14-2 WCHA, 13-15-2 overall) this season, but it will try to improve on its dismal road record this weekend as it travels north to face Bemidji State (9-12-3, 15-14-3) hoping to build momentum for the postseason.