The No. 6 Wisconsin men’s hockey team (21-9-2 overall, 16-7-1 in WCHA) begins its season-ending road trip this weekend at North Dakota (16-13-3 overall, 11-12-1 in WCHA) when it faces the surprisingly struggling Fighting Sioux in a rare Saturday-Sunday series. Wisconsin has played well on the road this season, posting a 7-4-1 away mark to date and outscoring its opponents a combined 38 to 24 in those contests. The Badgers also swept the Sioux earlier this season in Madison.
UW will be looking to avoid slow first period starts after struggling in the opening 20 minutes in last weekend’s home split with Colorado College. North Dakota has had similar issues in the first, being outscored 25 to 22 in the period. However, like the Badgers, the Sioux have had success in the final two periods, outscoring its opponents 30 to 26 in the second and 37 to 28 in the third.
“For us it’s been kind of a struggle lately in the first period,” UW defenseman Tom Gilbert said. “We’ve just been slow. We’re still working on it. It’s obviously really important to get a lead because the stats say the team who has the lead — usually you’ve got a pretty good winning record. So, the start is very important to us.”
After switching up the Badger forward lines in last weekend’s series, UW head coach Mike Eaves has continued to tinker with his team. Captain Adam Burish, who has manned the right wing alongside Joe Pavelski and Robbie Earl in every game this season, has seen time at center in practice this week while center iceman Jake Dowell has worked at left wing.
North Dakota enters the weekend having won just two of its last nine contests, and is fresh off a road split with Alaska Anchorage. The Sioux find themselves in unfamiliar territory, as they are unranked for the first time all season.
“It’s going to be a situation where guys are going to have to be ready to play, and whether they have a number in front of their name title isn’t a big deal, and we understand that,” Burish said.
North Dakota has plenty to gain in the series. Currently tied for fifth place in the WCHA, the Fighting Sioux need either two wins in the season’s final four games or a pair of Minnesota-Duluth losses to secure home ice for the first round of the conference playoffs. Head coach Dave Hakstol’s squad is also fighting for a berth in the NCAA tournament, and will likely need quality late-season wins.
“They’re going to come to play because they want home ice (in the WCHA playoffs),” Gilbert said. “Obviously, it’s a big advantage, and they’re a bubble (for the NCAA tournament) still. So, they’re going to come out hard this weekend and they’ve got something to play for, big time.”
A large boost for the Fighting Sioux will be the services of forward Brady Murray. Murray returned to the lineup last weekend in Anchorage after missing time this season with knee and shoulder injuries. Murray has totaled 15 points in 19 games this season after posting 46 points in 37 games as a freshman.
“He’s just real crafty with the puck,” Burish said. “When he has the puck he has some things, kind of like a guy like Robbie Earl for us does. He has that ability where the puck is on his stick and he can do magic with it. He can create plays, he can score goals, he can make fantastic assists. So, he’s just got that special ability with the puck on his stick.”
North Dakota has relied heavily on underclassmen scoring this season, with freshmen Travis Zajac and Rastislav Spirko first and second on the team in goals. However, UND possesses plenty of experienced, physical defensemen, such as senior Matt Jones and junior Matt Greene.
“They’ve got one of the toughest [defensive] corps in the nation,” Burish said. “They’re tough, they’re going to punish you down low, they’re going to step up and move out and they’re going to try to take your head off.”
Wisconsin will enter one of the nation’s most raucous environments in UND’s Ralph Engelstad Arena. UW has lost its last three games in Grand Forks, and will need to reverse that trend to keep its MacNaughton Cup hopes alive.
“That’s a rowdy environment up there in Grand Forks,” Burish said. “Their fans are there at six o’clock. They’re there for warm-ups, throwing pennies on the ice trying to make you fall. It’s just a different environment, it’s something that guys aren’t used to playing in and some of our young guys won’t be used to be playing in.”
