As the 2001-02 conference tournament commences this weekend, the first round pairings throughout the WCHA should prove to be extremely interesting in deciding who will compete in next week’s Final Five.
Unlike many previous playoff brackets, this conference has endured; this year’s matchups between the high and low seeds will not be as easily decided, as many would assume. In a conference where only a few points separated a number of teams throughout the season, the WCHA playoff seedings may be slightly misleading to the casual hockey fan.
Late-season surges have instilled a sense of confidence in the bottom half of the league, while disappointing lapses have left some of the top teams second-guessing themselves. Despite the home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs, this season’s conference tournament could see some first round upsets.
“It’s going to be interesting all across the country,” UW head coach Jeff Sauer said on Monday. “There’s going to be some very tough series in the first round that will probably go three games.”
Although top-seeded Denver will be battling injuries in this weekend’s series, the 10th seed, Michigan Tech, should pose very little of a threat in hindering the Pioneers’ advancement to the Xcel Energy Center and the Final Five.
Second seeded St. Cloud State, who will take on Minnesota-Duluth, must find a way to regain their midseason form heading into the playoffs, having dropped three of their last four contests.
Third place Minnesota, much to the chagrin of head coach Don Lucia, will play host to the resurgent and always dangerous North Dakota Fighting Sioux, while fourth seeded Colorado College will take on Alaska-Anchorage, who swept the Tigers just two weeks ago.
Like the teams above them in the conference, the Badgers can ill-afford to overlook their first round opponent, Minnesota State, as an opening series loss would put an end to their up and down season.
Although Minnesota State finished three points shy of the Badgers in the conference standings, they recorded more overall wins than Wisconsin and will head to the Kohl Center this weekend with a great deal of confidence.
“Our series will be interesting,” Sauer said. “They’ll come at us all pumped up and ready to go. I look for it to be a tough weekend.”
Coming off their first weekend sweep since early December, the Badgers appear to be heading into playoffs with a nice jolt of confidence and momentum. UW outscored Minnesota-Duluth 8-2 over the weekend, and both the offensive and defensive aspects of their game seem to be in top form.
What has particularly impressed Sauer of late has been the play of UW’s two goaltenders, Scott Kabatoff and Bernd Bruckler. The duo combined for 78 saves over the weekend, allowing only two goals throughout the series.
“I feel real comfortable with our goaltenders right now,” commented Sauer. “Both Scott and Bernd were extremely impressive over the weekend.”
In addition to the strong play of the goaltenders, UW will head into this year’s playoffs with something few other teams possess — experience. UW’s senior class, consisting of nine players, has already competed in two NCAA tournaments and has been to the Final Five three times.
“The majority of my team has been through this before,” Sauer said. “Hopefully it results on the ice.”
After months of anticipation, the table is set, and Wisconsin knows what it must do to keep their season alive. Anything is possible in the playoffs, and a season-finale sweep sends the Badgers screaming into the post-season.
“We’ve got some confidence again,” Sauer said. “Hopefully it will carry into the weekend.”
