[media-credit name=’AJ MACLEAN’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]The No. 5 Wisconsin men’s hockey team (17-6-1 overall, 14-4-0 in WCHA) hits the road for an unusual weekend against CCHA opponent Notre Dame (5-14-5 overall, 3-11-4 in CCHA). Friday night’s contest takes place in South Bend, Ind. before the series shifts to the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill. for Saturday night’s match-up, a game being hyped as “college hockey’s return to Chicago.” The weekend provides the Ice Badgers with their final break from WCHA play before returning to the conference schedule in two weeks. UW is looking to avoid heading back into play with a sour taste in its mouth.

“It’s always a better break when you win, and that fact will be talked about,” Wisconsin head coach Mike Eaves said. “It’s more pleasant to win and then have some time off to rest and recover.”

Wisconsin enters this weekend on a four-game winning streak in which it has outscored its opponents 19-5. While the series may not present the same type of rivalry as a WCHA weekend, UW is looking to build its NCAA tournament resume and improve its RPI.

“They are games that matter, although they are non-conference,” Eaves said. “We’re getting to the point where things are starting to formulate a little bit within the league, within the nation in terms of where teams sit. I think that it would behoove us to win these games as opposed to losing them, for many reasons.”

Notre Dame enters the series singing a much different tune. The Fighting Irish have gone winless in their last five games, and this season as a whole has been a constant struggle for the Irish. Dave Poulin’s squad ranks last in the CCHA in goals per game (1.56), 10th in goals allowed per game (3.33), 10th in power play (converting at a clip of 12.1 percent) and last in penalty killing (with a success rate of only 78.1 percent). Wisconsin ranks first in the WCHA in both power play and penalty kill.

Senior goaltender Morgan Cey has played admirably in front of the net, posting a .922 save percentage, but has won just three decisions. Defenseman Wes O’Neill leads the team with 14 points. On the other side, seven UW players have totaled more than that number, with Robbie Earl leading the way (28).

“We’re talking about Notre Dame and their tough times trying to score, really the only way that you can long-term change that is get some kids to come who have magic,” Eaves said. “We’ve talked about that offensive magic. And that’s something that’s frustrating as a coach because there’s not a long enough stick made to go put on the ice from the bench and help your team score. It’s something that people have to bring with their innate skills.”

Wisconsin will be playing in two very different environments during the series. Notre Dame’s home rink, the Joyce Center, is considerably smaller than most college arenas, with a capacity of 2,713.

“It’s more like a recreational center,” Eaves said of the arena. “I remember the first time that we were in there, there was a jogger on the indoor track next door and a puck went off the glass and zipped over the stands and hit him in the head. He had to get stitches. It’s a little different of a rink.”

UW will also have to adjust to playing on the Joyce Center’s smaller ice surface. The Kohl Center features an Olympic-sized sheet, so Wisconsin will be forced to make some changes.

“What we will focus on a little bit as the week goes on is our power play because most teams will really pressure you on the small sheet of ice,” Eaves said.

Allstate Arena, home of the American Hockey League’s Chicago Wolves, will provide a more professional setting for Saturday’s game. Even more importantly, a solid performance in the metropolis of Chicago could showcase Wisconsin for the rest of the nation.

“It’s first-hand exposure,” Eaves said. We can get exposure on the TV and in the newsprint, but being down there, I think people will say, ‘Hey, let’s go down there and see what it’s all about.’ So it’s real nice first-hand exposure for the people down there about who we are.”

Wisconsin returns to WCHA play on Feb. 4 for a key conference showdown with Minnesota. The Golden Gophers are ranked fourth in the nation and trail the Badgers by just six points in the WCHA title race.