The Wisconsin men's hockey team, fresh off a sweep of conference opponent Alaska-Anchorage, takes its show on the road next weekend to No. 5 North Dakota. The Fighting Sioux split with defending national champion Denver last weekend in their first conference action of the year.

One of the Badgers' toughest rivals, North Dakota will give the Badgers a physical weekend of play, according to Wisconsin head coach Mike Eaves.

"I think the first thing that comes to mind is the intensity. It's always a physical series," Eaves said of Wisconsin's upcoming opponent. "Number one, that's the way they play. Number two, it's a smaller rink so there's going to be more contact."

The Badgers have gone 0-4-1 in their last five games in Grand Forks, last winning 3-2 early in the 2001-2002 campaign. They hope to turn things around this weekend, and they will have to do it against an aggressive team.

"I think that's the kind of game that we're used to playing against them, and I don't think that will change this weekend as well," said Eaves.

Brian Elliott endures

The goaltender for the Badgers had some foot problems that bothered him throughout the offseason. Yet Eaves said, despite the offseason issues, Elliott has come back from his physical problems quite successfully.

"He did have some problems with his foot, but there was no surgery needed," Eaves said. "Based on his numbers alone, the fact that he's come back and he's played back-to-back games for the first time in a long time, he's held up very well."

Elliott is 4-1-1 this season with a .940 save percentage and 1.48 goals against average, good for second in the WCHA in both categories. He stopped a career-high 35 pucks in a tie against St. Cloud State on Oct. 21, and he has allowed two goals or less in the team's first six games of the season, a mark that ties him for the fourth-longest such streak in school history.

"He's doing what I think his teammates thought he would," said Eaves. "They were together all summer, shooting on him, and they're saying, 'He's tough to score on, Coach,' and he's continued that into the season."

Badgers prepare for small UND ice

The small ice surface at North Dakota's Ralph Engelstad Arena presents a problem for teams like the Badgers that are used to playing on Olympic-sized ice. Coach Eaves will have his players practicing this week at the Dane County Coliseum, the former home of the Badger hockey team, where the ice is relatively smaller and can prepare the Badgers for what they can expect against the Fighting Sioux.

"Time and space becomes more of a premium, and so this week we, too, will practice on a small sheet Tuesday and Wednesday in preparation for this weekend," said Eaves.

The surface at North Dakota is enough to make some teams claustrophobic, and it changes many of the game's dynamics.

"Things just happen a lot quicker," Eaves explained of the differences. "We always encourage our kids to be a good chess player and know what they're going to do with the puck before they get it. They really have to step that up going into a smaller rink. There's less time and space, and so ice, space, and time become a premium, and we'll work on that during the course of this week."

Intensity paying off for Wisconsin

In Wisconsin's sweep over Alaska-Anchorage last weekend, Eaves saw some things he liked, especially with regards to intensity and offensive rhythm.

"We made a big step this weekend in the fact that we were consistent in our effort. For six periods we were pretty close to playing with great intensity and support around the puck and away from the puck," Eaves said. "We talk about time and space. When Anchorage had the puck, we took away their time and space. To allow a team fewer than 25 shots a game is pretty good."

The Badgers now sit atop the conference with seven points in the standings, just one point ahead of Minnesota. The team is also tied for third in the conference in scoring, with 3.33 goals per game, something that encouraged Eaves.

"It's nice that we got a little bit more of a flow in our offense as well going into North Dakota," Eaves said. "We said earlier that what took place this weekend was potential with our team in terms of scoring, and it happened. So I think we're in more of that flow and more of that rhythm, and we'll hopefully carry that with us up to North Dakota."