[media-credit name=’KRIS UGARRIZA/Herald photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]

When you look at the matchup, the Wisconsin and North Dakota men’s hockey teams are almost identical.

Both teams struggled out East in their respective opening weekends of the 2008-09 seasons. The Badgers (0-5-1, 0-3-1 WCHA) fell to Boston College and New Hampshire, while the Fighting Sioux (1-3-0, 1-1-0 WCHA) were topped by Boston University and Massachusetts.

Both teams have had trouble finding success so far in the WCHA. UW is still without a conference win, while UND split last weekend’s series with Minnesota State.

And perhaps most notably, they’re both young. Wisconsin’s roster boasts seven freshmen, while North Dakota’s has eight.

Add these factors together, and this weekend’s series in Grand Forks should be a pretty entertaining one.

“One thing’s for sure, they’re going to be hungry,” UW head coach Mike Eaves said. “They’re going to come out guns a-blazin’ and horses racing. It will make for a great weekend of hockey, I guarantee you that.”

“We both went out East and didn’t get what we wanted in two wins,” Wisconsin sophomore forward Patrick Johnson said. “But obviously they’re a young team, still developing a bit and trying to get into a rhythm a little bit.”

While the Sioux may be young, they still possess plenty of talent on offense. They lost forward T.J. Oshie — a 45-point scorer a year ago — to the NHL but still have the 2007 Hobey Baker winner in senior forward Ryan Duncan. Duncan finished just behind Oshie last season with 40 points and already has three points through four games this season.

“They always seem to just reload with guys,” UW senior goaltender Shane Connelly said. “You can lose T.J. Oshie, but they still have the Hobey Baker winner in that lineup. It’s a crazy thing that he’s ended up staying. They just bring in a ton of guys, and they’re always offensively gifted.”

It was the Fighting Sioux that knocked the Badgers out of last season’s NCAA Tournament in a 3-2 overtime victory in Madison. Wisconsin held a 2-0 third-period lead in that game but let North Dakota back in it, eventually losing in the extra frame.

To Connelly, their past history with UND is a good indication of how this weekend’s series will play out.

“These two teams are always pretty much alike,” Connelly said. “We like to play hard, and we’re young. These teams have had success in the recent years.”

North Dakota has had to deal with the departure of goalie Jean-Philippe Lamoureux, who cemented things in the net for the Sioux last season with a 1.75 goals against average and a 27-11-4 record. Splitting time between the pipes so far for UND have been senior Aaron Walski and freshman Brad Eidsness, who have each played two games.

To have success on the road against North Dakota, Johnson knows Wisconsin will need to exploit the inexperience at goaltender.

“Obviously, just like Minnesota, get pucks at the net and hopefully get some rebounds and just go hard at the net and get some rebound goals,” Johnson said.

For Johnson and the rest of the underclassmen, it will be the first time playing a collegiate game at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks. Completed in 2001 with a capacity of 11,640, “The Ralph” is often considered one of the nicest arenas in college hockey — and offers one of the more interesting game-day atmospheres.

“It’s one of the best. It’s a packed crowd, an energetic crowd,” Eaves said. “It’s the kind of athletic environment that you want as an athlete because it’s energetic. You’re going to be in the game the whole time, and it’s fun to play in.”

The Badgers have found much success in recent trips to Grand Forks, winning their last four games there.

“I’ve never started a game in there, but I’ve seen four wins. It’s incredible,” Connelly said. “Last time I was there, they were throwing light sticks at us. It was glow stick night, and I think 11,000 people had glow sticks. It’s a great place. … It’s great home ice advantage for them. We just have to have some great road periods and take the crowd out of it, and we’ll be fine.”