Fresh off a home sweep of St. Cloud State, No. 1 Wisconsin (15-2-1 WCHA, 20-2-1 overall) looks to continue to flex its high-powered offense against North Dakota (9-5-4, 12-7-5). The Badgers outscored St. Cloud State, No. 1 Wisconsin (15-2-1 WCHA, 20-2-1 overall) looks to continue to flex its high-powered offense against North Dakota (9-5-4, 12-7-5).
Just one season ago, Minnesota traveled to the Kohl Center and easily won two games against Wisconsin, including a 9-2 beat down of a Badgers team that looked dejected with little confidence.
In this week's episode, men's basketball beat writers Ben Pickman and Thomas Valtin-Erwin, as well as columnist Zach Rastall, discuss the current state of Badger hoops.
After splitting its first conference series of the season before winter break, Wisconsin took a nearly month-long hiatus before returning to the ice with gusto last weekend.
A lot can happen in 28 days. Even with practice and conditioning, 28 days without playing a hockey game will inevitably build rust.
Back in November, Ohio State came into Madison and surprised many by playing toe-to-toe with Wisconsin.
This weekend, for the first time in its history, Wisconsin won its Big Ten opener. The league has only been around for four years, but the win is still an impressive milestone for a program that has floundered in the conference the past two years.
Penn State Come early April, Penn State fans may be calling Happy Valley, Hockey Valley. The Nittany Lions are unbeaten in their last 13 games and have only suffered one loss in their 15 games on the ice this season. Penn State’s success is, in large part, due to sophomore forward Andrew Sturtz.
After the Badgers’ loss to Omaha, head coach Tony Granato said he thought freshman goalie Jack Berry played a great game. Sophomore Luke Kunin echoed his coach's comments, saying, “He battled hard for us tonight. He was our best player.”
Wisconsin senior captain Sydney McKibbon knew that for the Badgers to beat No. 2 Minnesota they would need to start fast. “We’ve gotta come out flying tomorrow in the first eight to 10 minutes and try to get a couple goals in the first period,” McKibbon said following Saturday’s 2-0 loss. The Badgers followed her advice as top-ranked Wisconsin (11-2-1 WCHA, 15-2-1 overall) knocked off No. 2 Minnesota (12-2-2, 14-2-2) 8-2, Sunday afternoon at LaBahn Arena to split the Border Battle. Wisconsin scored four first-period goals, including two from senior forward Sarah Nurse, who gave the Badgers a 1-0 lead.
In the second game of their weekend series against Omaha, the Badgers outshot the Mavericks 44-27, scored four goals, held the edge in zone time, created chances and really played one of their better offensive games of the season.
Once again, the Badgers dug themselves into an early hole. Slow starts have plagued Wisconsin all season, and they have not been able to recover.
Head coach Tony Granato stood back-to-back with Ryan Wagner after practice and asked the group of reporters who was taller.
Entering college is a stressful experience for any student, but especially so for student-athletes.
The Badgers lost a lot with the injury to budding freshman star Trent Frederic: A goal-scoring threat, an excellent passer and a lightning-fast skater, he’s currently second on the team in points with four goals and six assists.
Much like polls for presidential elections, the hockey rankings don’t mean much, especially for the Badgers this early in the season.
Wisconsin, who has shown the ability to play dominant hockey, especially offensively, has struggled to assert their dominance early.
Following a week off after maybe their most promising win of the season, the Badgers (5-3-0) are looking to carry momentum into a weekend series against Merrimack (4-5-3) at the Kohl Center.
The game of hockey is naturally fast. The best players and the best teams play fast, but it is more than just speed that makes a team succeed.
Senior goalie Ann-Renée Desbiens recorded her 43rd career shutout to tie the NCAA career shutout record, as top-ranked Wisconsin (8-0-1 WCHA, 10-0-1, overall) blanked Bemidji State (2-6-1, 4-6-1) 5-0, Saturday afternoon at LaBahn Arena. “It’s kind of impressive, it’s not something I would have thought about when I got here three or four years ago,” Desbiens said of the milestone.
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