The University of Wisconsin men’s hockey team will play unranked St. Lawrence this weekend, marking the start of a four-game homestead. The non-conference matchup will be played at the Kohl Center Friday and Saturday.
The Badgers settled for a draw last weekend against Northern Michigan, with a 4-5 overtime loss in the first game and a decisive 4-0 win in the second game. Despite the split, the Badgers (5-2-0) have moved up to the 5th rank in the USCHO poll.
The Saints (0-6-0) have yet to win a game this season. They simply lack offensive depth and cannot keep up with their ranked opponents in the ECAC.
Over six games, the leading point producer Jacob Pritchard only had one goal, three assists and four points. In addition, their starting goaltender Author Brey is abysmal, with a .861 save percentage and allowing, on average, four goals per game. But considering the Saints are determined to have a first win of the season, expect them to be ambitious at the start of the first period.
Three keys to the series:
Kyle Hayton
Kyle Hayton played a subpar game in Friday’s matchup against Northern Michigan, letting in five out of 20 shots. But expect Hayton to bounce back after Jack Berry’s outstanding performance of allowing zero out of eleven shots. Hayton will likely be determined to play a strong game against his former team.
Keep the offense up
Wisconsin’s main strength is that they can put a lot of pucks in the net. Wisconsin has scored 25 goals over the course of seven games. Trent Fredric, Tarek Baker and Linus Weissbach are having a phenomenal seasons so far. Furthermore, Wisconsin boasts secondary scoring from Seamus Malone and Will Johnson.
Defense needs to stay strong
Junior defenseman Peter Tischke suffered a head injury early in Saturday’s game, resulting in Wisconsin having only seven defensemen, three of them freshmen. But the defense was strong, allowing no goals. If they can maintain their performance this weekend Wisconsin will easily win both games.
Friday’s game starts at 7 p.m. and will be aired on FOX Sports Wisconsin. Saturday’s game will start at 7 p.m. and can be heard on WIBA 1310.
