Sports: Men's Hockey

UW hockey schedule announced for 2008-09 season

The 2008-09 UW men’s hockey schedule was announced Tuesday, and on paper it appears the Badgers will have their work cut out for them.

Wisconsin will open up the new season against the defending champion Eagles of Boston College on the road Oct. 10. Mike Eaves’ team will then make the trek to Durham, N.H., to take on New Hampshire, winners of the Hockey East regular-season title, the following evening.

Michigan State, the national champions from two seasons ago, and Michigan will also travel to Madison to take part in the College Hockey Showcase Nov. 28 and 29. The Wolverines, who held the No. 1 ranking at the end of the regular season, claimed the CCHA championship and advanced to the NCAA’s Frozen Four before being defeated 5-4 by Notre Dame in overtime. In last year’s Showcase, UW fell 3-2 to the Wolverines and tied the Spartans 4-4. Both games were played on the road.

In the annual Badger Hockey Showdown, Wisconsin will play host to Harvard, Alabama-Huntsville and Lake Superior State. That tournament will run Dec. 27-28 at the Kohl Center. Last year’s Showdown saw Colgate, Bowling Green and Northeastern visit Wisconsin. The Badgers skated to a 2-2 tie in their game against Colgate and topped Bowling Green 5-3.

The only other nonconference matchup on the docket is a two-game home series against Northern Michigan the first weekend in January.

Highlighting the list of road trips Wisconsin will be making are a two-game series in Grand Forks against North Dakota — the team that eliminated the Badgers from the NCAA tournament this year — at Ralph Englestad Arena and a lengthy flight up north for a faceoff against Alaska-Anchorage.

In all, 20 of UW’s 36 games in the regular season will be played against teams that made the NCAA tournament. It will also have six games against Frozen Four participants — North Dakota, Michigan and Boston College.

The WCHA Final Five is again set to be played at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., from March 13-15. The NCAA’s regional game will be held in Minneapolis, Manchester, N.H., Grand Rapids, Mich., and Bridgeport, Conn. The Verizon Center in Washington D.C. will host the Frozen Four April 9-11.