Following a sweep of Long Island University, the Wisconsin Badgers men’s hockey team (4-8-0, 0-6-0 Big Ten) continue their home stand this weekend against the Lindenwood Lions (4-8-0).
Wisconsin won the first game of the Lindenwood series 4-3 in a tight matchup Friday.
The Badgers got their first two wins at the Kohl Center last weekend, thanks to an offensive explosion. The Badgers scored seven goals, their second most in a series this year. They look to continue that momentum in this series before entering another tough stretch of their schedule.
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Zach Urdahl was a breakout star against LIU, netting two goals and an assist. The Badgers have been in a scoring drought, largely due to the play of their bottom six forwards. Urdahl, a sophomore from Eau Claire, made some great plays this past weekend. Look for him to continue that momentum this weekend.
Meanwhile, Cruz Lucius is continuing his very impressive freshman campaign. Lucius got himself a game-winning goal and an assist last weekend. His point total is up to seven on the season, leading the Badgers.
Coming off of a sweep of their own, the Lindenwood Lions are a team with a good offense but lackluster defense. Left wingers David Gagnon and Hunter Johannes are the team’s top point-getters. Going into the series, Gagnon led the teams in points for the season, with 12, while Johannes had netted six goals.
Lindenwood’s typical starting goaltender Trent Burnham has had a good, but not great, season. He owns a 3.63 goals against average, and a 91.7% save percentage.
On the other side of the ice, Badgers’ goalie Jared Moe has cooled off from his stellar three game stretch in late October. Moe gave up five goals in one start against Michigan State, and five goals over two starts last weekend against LIU. He hasn’t been bad, just not spectacular. It will be interesting to see how he does against a solid Lindenwood offense.
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It feels like a good spot for Kyle McClellan to get a start in net this weekend as well. McClellan has had three starts this season, the first being spectacular, while the second left a lot to be desired. His first two starts were against top-tier opponents in Saint Cloud State and Michigan State, making this match another good test for him.
This is a series in which the Badgers should hope for a sweep, but accept a split. After this weekend, the team gets a week off before playing No. 3 Michigan at home, then No. 2 Minnesota on the road. Momentum going into a bye week is essential for a team, especially when they’re playing two top-five teams in the following weeks.
