Coming off a near shutout over the Golden Gophers on their own turf, the No. 11 University of Wisconsin men’s hockey team (12-7, 10-5 Big Ten) is looking to finish what they started at LaBahn and execute a sweep over the No. 2 University of Minnesota (15-4, 11-4).
The first win over the Golden Gophers put the Badgers just a game behind their opponent in the race for the Big Ten title and adding another victory will solidify their chances. After scoring within 64 seconds at Mariucci Arena, Minnesota quickly found Badger forward Cole Caufield’s hot streak is nearly impossible to extinguish.
During Friday night’s 4–1 win, Caufield drew first blood from the Golden Gophers and he finished them off with seven minutes remaining. It was an abrupt wake-up call for Minnesota after they had accumulated 30 points in their previous four games.
Men’s Hockey: Wisconsin sweeps Michigan State, rise to No. 11 in rankings
For Caufield, taking down the Golden Gophers isn’t exactly the goal. Since returning as a gold medalist from the World Juniors Championship in late January, the young forward is continuing to make his stride as a leader and driving force for the team’s success.
“I just forget about the past,” Caufield said. “I’m already focused on tomorrow. We had a great team win tonight — it’s big for us. But moving forward I’m focused on the next one. The boys are rolling right now. As long as I can lead the way, the charge, I’ll keep doing that.”
But, Caufield isn’t the only Badger forward on a hot streak.
Men’s Hockey: Badgers split series against top-ranked Gophers
Badger center Dylan Holloway added his fourth goal in his last four games Friday night while also scoring multiple points for the sixth straight game. The young forward impressively earned 16 points over a career-best seven-game scoring streak.
“It’s definitely big for us,” Holloway said. “But I think it’s just important we stay level-headed here. We’ve got a job to do tomorrow. The goal is to sweep for the weekend, not just one game.”
After starting during game one of the Minnesota series, Robbie Beydoun totaled 24 saves. Freshman backup Cameron Rowe is expected to start between the pipes Saturday night following the announcement of his name being added to the watch list for the Mike Richter Award for the nation’s top goalie this week.
The Badgers face off the Golden Gophers in Mariucci Arena once again at 7 p.m. Saturday night. The game will be available to watch live and stream on Fox Sports Wisconsin.
