There really isn’t any way to sugarcoat it for the UW men’s hockey team as the Badgers embark on their final three weeks of the season.
Needing a strong finish to earn home-ice advantage in the first round of the WCHA playoffs, UW will face off against two of the nation’s top five teams in consecutive weekends.
This difficult stretch begins tonight when the Badgers play host to the No.1 Denver Pioneers at the Kohl Center. Denver, clinging to a one-point lead in the conference standings over St. Cloud State, brings with it a nation’s best 24-5-1 overall record and one of the most well rounded college hockey programs in the nation.
The Pioneers are coached by Wisconsin alum George Gwozdecky who, in his eighth season at Denver, has accumulated a record of 163-123-20 and recently came to terms on an undisclosed contract that should keep him in Denver for the remainder of his coaching career.
Leading the way for the Pioneers is a pair of young forwards, Connor James and Kevin Doell, who have each managed to net 14 goals and 17 assists this season. Senior forward Chris Paradise (10-14-24) has also proven to be one of the more dominant offensive threats in the league.
In goal for Denver is the dominant duo of junior Wade Dubielewicz and sophomore Adam Berkhoel, who have split playing time throughout the season.
Dubielewicz owns a 13-2-0 record and a ridiculous .948 save percentage while Berkhoel boasts an impressive 11-3-1 mark and .917 save percentage.
“The one sole ingredient for them that has been consistent all year has been the goaltending,” said UW head coach Jeff Sauer.
The Pioneers also feature the league’s leading scoring defense of two goals per game and have shut down their opponents 88.2 percent of the time on the power play, also tops in the league.
“Denver is an in interesting team,” Sauer added. “When they come, you’ll see that they’re not that flashy. They just play a hard-working, defensive-oriented type of hockey.”
Wisconsin enters this series with hopes of avenging their disappointing performance the first time these two teams met back in early January, The Pioneers swept the Badgers in that meeting, outscoring them 8-1 on the weekend. Sophomore Rene Borque was responsible for UW’s only goal in the series.
UW has posted an impressive 5-2-1 record in its last eight games at the Kohl Center and hopes to capitalize on the seemingly struggling Pioneers, who are 1-2-1 in their last four contests. Senior Matt Murray has been leading the way at home, tallying nine points in his last six games.
If Wisconsin hopes to penetrate the defensive game plan of the Pioneers, the Badgers must play flawlessly in the offensive aspect of their game. Inconsistent efforts on Saturday nights the past two weekends cannot be afforded as the race for home-ice advantage tightens in the final leg of the season.
UW has proven it can compete with the nation’s best on its home ice, and it must continue that momentum tonight if it hopes to end the season on a positive note.
“When we’re playing strong, we can master the system and do a pretty good job,” said Sauer. “It comes and goes, and that’s the problem.”
