There is no rest for the weary or for Wisconsin’s men’s hockey team.
The Badgers are pitted against the hottest team nationally in No. 6 Colorado College starting on the road tonight, followed by No. 2 Denver at home and then a road trip to Minnesota, ranked fifth nationally. The Badgers (12-13-2, 10-8-2 WCHA) will indeed have their work cut out for them before they have time to rest.
With last Saturday’s brawl versus Alaska-Anchorage, the Badger defense is sparse and searching for bodies to fill minutes. The defensive unit lost two major contributors in Brian Fahey and Jon Krall for tonight’s game, sending head coach Jeff Sauer to his alma mater with three regulars and two freshmen who have seen action in a total of five games during their stint at UW.
“We have to figure out who can play defense for us,” said Sauer. “Right now, we are down to three defensemen that play.”
The Badgers are also without forward Jake Heisler, also serving his disqualification, and goaltender Scott Kabotoff who opted not to make the trip, staying at home to nurse his sprained knee.
Sauer will rely heavily on freshman goalie Bernd Bruckler (4-5-1, 2.62 goals against average, 92.4 save percentage) for, no doubt, the biggest series of his short career. Bruckler will face a CC team that has won nine of its past 10 and owns a six-game winning streak, the last two coming against No. 1 Denver.
This is not to mention the Tigers (18-8-2, 12-7-1 WCHA), with a 12-3 record at home and an impressive 14-0 record after leading through two periods, have been hovering near perfection at the World Arena this season.
There is no question the Badgers are at a disadvantage, but some of CC’s play has left them hopeful. During the six-game winning streak, Colorado College has been prone to take bad penalties and let leads evaporate in the third period, nearly blowing 3-0 and 3-1 leads against Denver.
“It seems like we’re kind of in a little vicious circle,” said CC’s head coach Scott Owens, a Madison native and former Badger assistant. “We’re just doing some dumb things, and we’re putting ourselves in position where we have to take a penalty because we’re being lazy or not being smart enough. If it was one or two guys, I’d sit them. But it’s not.”
Wisconsin, both three points ahead of Minnesota State and behind Minnesota in WCHA standings, needs to silent the explosive Tiger forward if they are to steal a victory and tack on conference points. Sophomore Peter Sejna (16 goals, 15 assists, 31 points) and senior Mark Cullen (9-21-30) are both in the top 12 of the WCHA point standings and in the current six-game win streak have tallied 14 points, drawing the Badgers’ attention.
“They are playing very well right now,” said Sauer. “And they are probably the hottest team in the country. They will be good.”
Saturday will clearly be the Badgers’ best chance to lift points off of the Tigers. UW needs to respond with offensive production from the likes of Matt Hussey (14-11-25), who leads the team in conference goals, and Brad Winchester (10-17-27), the team’s overall points leader.
Wisconsin tied CC Dec. 28 in Milwaukee, 3-3, getting a pair of goals from Hussey and another from Rene Bourque (8-5-13) en route to a third-place finish in the Hockey Showdown.
Colorado College is not the only opponent this weekend for UW. Staving off fatigue and keeping Badger defensemen fresh will be a second nemesis, making the voyage twice as difficult.
Wisconsin desperately needs to gain something from this series and build on it, for the next two weekends will weigh just as heavily on the Badgers’ campaign for a home-ice playoff series. A slip up now could equal an early exit from postseason play, and that is not the kind of rest the Badgers want.
