There really isn’t anything complicated about this weekend’s WCHA Final Five for the UW men’s hockey team. Either it wins the tournament or its season is over.

The Badgers don’t have to worry about possible seedings in next week’s NCAA tournament, and they’re not concerned with resting players for future competition.

All Wisconsin has to do is win three games against three of the nation’s top teams in three consecutive days.

That quest begins tonight when the Badgers face off against the Tigers of Colorado College. Tonight’s meeting marks the fourth of the season for these two teams, with Colorado College holding a 1-0-2 edge over Wisconsin.

The Tigers, coached by former Badger assistant Scott Owens, enter this weekend as one of the hottest teams in college hockey, owning a 15-4-1 record in their last 20 games.

Colorado College (24-11-3) is led by senior captain Mark Cullen, who is leading the team with 48 points, and sophomore winger Peter Sejna, who has notched 23 goals and 24 assists on the season.

“Mark Cullen is one of the top forwards in college hockey,” UW head coach Jeff Sauer said. “And Peter Sejna isn’t far behind.”

In goal for the Tigers is senior netminder Jeff Sanger, who has an 18-11-2 record and a .903 save percentage.

Dominating Colorado College opponents of late has been the explosive offensive production displayed by its forwards and the stingy play of its penalty-kill lines. In the last six games, Colorado College has averaged over four goals a game and held its opponents scoreless on the power play.

Wisconsin, who is making its 13th appearance in the Final Five since its debut in 1987-88, will attempt to defy history this weekend, as no team that has finished below .500 in the regular season has gone on to win the championship. The Badgers, with a record of 16-18-4, will also attempt to be the first team in conference history to win the tournament as a fifth seed.

Like the Tigers, the Badgers head into this weekend’s Final Five playing some of their best hockey of the season. Wisconsin is clinging to a four-game winning streak, a span in which it has outscored its opponents 18-7.

If the Badgers hope to extend their recent jolt of momentum and catapult themselves into the NCAA tournament, they must continue to play with the sense of confidence and urgency that has characterized them of late. Led by their senior forwards in recent weeks, the Badgers enter this weekend’s play riding their most dominating offensive stretch of the season.

In goal for Wisconsin tonight will be junior Scott Kabotoff, who recorded a career high 56 saves in the Badgers’ first meeting with Colorado College in December. Kabotoff recorded the victory in last Friday’s win over Minnesota State and appears to be fully recovered from a knee injury that kept him out for nearly a month.

Although Wisconsin has played the Tigers tough in each of their previous meetings this season, the shot differential between the two clubs has plagued Wisconsin the most. Colorado College has out-shot the Badgers 152-72 in the three games between these two teams, dominating the offensive end of the ice and controlling the pace of the game.

Wisconsin, who last won the playoff championship in 1998, holds an advantage in the size of their players and the small rink that the Xcel Energy Center will offer.

The Badgers will look to play a steady, physical game, neutralizing the speedy Tiger forwards.

“Our advantage is in the small sheet of ice and what’s at stake,” Sauer added. “The pressure is on them to perform well and secure their NCAA bid.”

A win tonight would earn Wisconsin the right to play No.1 seed Denver tomorrow afternoon; the winner of that game would take on either Minnesota or St. Cloud State, who will play tomorrow night in the semifinals.

With seven of the last 12 games between the Badgers and the Tigers decided by just one goal, tonight’s game promises to be entertaining. Knowing this could be their last time on the ice this season, the Badgers appear focused on their goal and confident its completion.

“We have to win three games in three days to win,” Sauer said. “We’re just going to go out and see what we can do.”