In the wake of a disappointing series at Colorado College, the final three weeks of the regular season will certainly prove to be gut-check time for the UW men’s hockey team.
The Badgers will go into their final six games with only one objective in mind: gaining home-ice advantage in the first round of the WCHA playoffs.
A 1-2-1 mark in their last four contests has severely hurt any aspirations the Badgers may have had of moving up in the conference standings and has forced Wisconsin to focus solely on retaining its fifth place spot in the WCHA.
Currently, the Badgers (10-9-3, 12-14-4 overall) sit alone in fifth place, five points behind Colorado College and two points ahead of Minnesota State. A top-five finish in the conference standings would give Wisconsin a playoff series at the Kohl Center, most likely against Minnesota State or Alaska-Anchorage.
With highly ranked Denver and Minnesota on tap the next two weeks, maintaining the final slot for home ice will be a daunting task.
“It’s going to be a dogfight the rest of the way,” said UW head coach Jeff Sauer on Monday. “We knew that coming in and that’s just something we’re going to have to deal with.”
One of the troubles of late has been the absence of junior goaltender Scott Kabatoff, who has been sidelined with a knee injury. Freshman Bernd Bruckler has been superb in net since assuming the position of starting goalie on Jan. 25, but six consecutive games in goal has certainly taken its toll on the young netminder. Sauer remains confident that the addition of a healthy Kabatoff back into the lineup will considerably improve Wisconsin’s chances down the stretch.
“Hopefully we can get Scott back on the ice this weekend,” commented Sauer. “I’d like to get back into a two goaltender rotation.”
In addition to getting Kabatoff back into the mix of things down the stretch, the Badgers can gain some confidence because two of their final three series will be played in Madison. After struggling early in the year at home, the Badgers have posted an impressive 5-2-1 record in their last eight games at the Kohl Center, including a thrilling three point series against nationally touted St. Cloud State just three weeks ago.
“We’ve just been playing really well there, as well as at other places,” noted Sauer on his team’s recent success at home.
Staying healthy the rest of the way will also be crucial for Badgers as they head into the homestretch of their schedule. An ankle injury to senior defenseman Rob Vega appears to be the only casualty from the Colorado College series and if UW hopes to make some noise these next few weeks, they need to stay at full strength.
“When we stay healthy we can really play,” explained Sauer. “That’s going to be the key.”
In the race for the fifth spot, the Badgers are clearly in the driver’s seat. In addition to holding a two-point lead in the standings, UW has two games in hand against both Minnesota State and Alaska-Anchorage. The final week of the season each of those teams will compete in non-conference contests, which will not count toward their WCHA point total.
The Badgers have proven themselves formidable against the nation’s toughest, and these next two weeks will be a true test of heart and desire.
“We’re close to being there,” commented Sauer. “When we play, we’re a pretty good hockey team.”
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Hockey prepares for weekend series
by
February 12, 2002
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