The 2001-02 hockey season has been no different from any others in the past five years. The WCHA has established itself as the premier conference in the nation, intense rivalries and fast-paced action has dominated the regular season schedule and with five weeks remaining, the usual suspects all stand within a few points of one another, scratching and clawing for top seeds as the conference playoffs roll around.
Make no mistake about it–it’s going to be a rat race these final five weeks, and, to many people’s surprise, the Badgers are right in the thick of it. While it appears that first and second place Denver and St. Cloud State will wrap up the number one and two spots in the conference, it will be an interesting finish for teams such as Minnesota (10-5-3), Colorado College (10-7-1) and Wisconsin (9-7-2).
All three teams presently sit within three points of each other, and with the schedule that lies ahead, anything can happen.
With only ten games remaining, the UW team will be in complete control of their destiny. Six of the remaining ten games on Wisconsin’s schedule are against teams ahead of them in the conference standings.
The Badgers will travel to Colorado College next weekend, host Denver after that, then journey up to Minnesota for the concluding series against their fierce rivals.
A successful campaign during this arduous stretch of games could land the Badgers in the top three or four in the conference, a far cry from the expectations assigned to them in the preseason predictions. However, an impressive finish will require the caliber of play that the Badgers have displayed these last few weeks, and no one wants to look too far ahead. If Wisconsin is to finish atop the WCHA, it must take advantage of series such as the one this weekend versus Alaska-Anchorage.
Bruckler named player of the week
UW freshman goaltender Bernd Bruckler was named the WCHA’s defensive player of the week after his impressive performance last weekend against St. Cloud State. Bruckler, who replaced the injured Scott Kabatoff midway through the first period last Friday, stopped 57 of the Huskies’ 60 shots, tallying a .950 save percentage.
In addition to holding St. Cloud State to just three goals the entire weekend, Bruckler shut out the country’s leading power play unit, as the Huskies finished the weekend 0-9 with a man advantage.
Bruckler, undefeated at the Kohl Center this season (3-0-1), should see a more active role down the stretch of the season as Kabatoff rehabilitates his injured knee.
Strike while the iron is hot
The Badgers will enter this weekend’s series against Alaska-Anchorage unbeaten in its last three contests. This current streak (2-0-1) matches their season long dating back to early December when they posted the same record following a sweep of North Dakota.
Conversely, the Seawolves of Alaska-Anchorage bring to the Kohl Center a five-game winless streak and a diminishing level of confidence. The Seawolves have not posted a victory since their 2-1 win at North Dakota Jan. 11.
Their road record so far this season is a meager 2-9-1 and if the Badgers hope to finish the season in the upper half of the WCHA they must utilize their increasing momentum and capitalize on struggling Alaska-Anchorage.
