Coming off back-to-back losses to No. 11 Ohio State (4-0-0), the University of Wisconsin men’s hockey team (0-2-0) will make their home debut at the Kohl Center this Friday.
The Badgers will play a set of games against No. 10 St. Cloud State (2-0-0). This will be the first meeting between the two teams in Madison since 2013. These two teams played last season in Minnesota, with St. Cloud winning both games.
This past weekend, Wisconsin went into Columbus hoping for an upset to begin the season, but things didn’t go according to plan.
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The Badgers lost their first game on the road at Ohio State 3–1. Despite a late push in the third period, the team was unable to complete a comeback.
The Badgers began the second game hot, then blew a 3–0 lead and ended up losing 4–3 in heartbreaking fashion. The Badgers had the opportunity to split games on the road, which would have been a major confidence boost for the team. But, the lack of execution in the final two periods led to a shocking defeat and a 0-2 start for the second straight season.
The first positive worth noting from the road trip is that freshmen Cruz Lucius and Jack Horbach both netted their first career goals in their debuts at Ohio State. Lucius is looking like a young star for this Badger squad, and it will be exciting to see how he and the rest of this freshman class develop as the season progresses.
Another positive from this season is the return of senior Owen Lindmark, who missed most of last season with an injury. He scored in the second game against Ohio State.
Now, this team faces a tough challenge at home against one of the best teams in the country. St. Cloud State defeated St. Thomas in their first two games of the season, sweeping the series 4–0 and 3–1.
Senior Dylan Anhorn leads the St. Cloud Huskies in points with a goal and four assists so far, and he was named the National Collegiate Hockey Conference Defenseman of the Week for his performance against St. Thomas.
They also have Junior Veeti Miettinen from Finland, who has four points this season with a goal and three assists. He was named the NCHC Forward of the Week.
Wisconsin has struggled this season. There simply isn’t an easier way to put it. Dropping an exhibition game to Lakehead certainly didn’t help get the season off to a smooth start. This is supposed to be a make-or-break year for head coach Tony Granato, yet the team has come out winless. The media has the Badgers finishing 4th in the Big Ten pre-season poll, but it is clear the Badgers need to make some changes if that is to happen.
The puck drops at 7 p.m. Friday, and the Badgers will need the Crease Creatures to show up in full force, ready to make some noise. Though the season has gotten off to a shaky start, fans should be excited that the hockey season is officially back in Madison.
