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As any Wisconsin sports fan can attest, no game matters more for bragging rights than the border battle with Minnesota, but the stakes don’t get any higher than this weekend, when the No. 1 ranked Badgers play host to the No. 2 Golden Gophers.

The Badgers (8-0-0 ) and the Gophers (5-1-0 ) both bring impressive offensive r?sum?s into the matchup. The Badgers, who have outscored opponents 52 to seven thus far, are leading the country with 6.5 goals per game. Minnesota is second in that category at just over 5 per game. UW head coach Mark Johnson said fans can expect the game will not be lacking offensive action.

“I think most of the game is going to be played at a pretty high pace,” Johnson said. “They like to get up, they like to go. The only thing that will contain [the tempo] is the size of the ice sheet. It should be a fun, entertaining weekend of hockey.”

In addition to being tops in the country in scoring, Wisconsin is No. 1 in scoring margin, power play scoring, winning percentage and current unbeaten streak. They also come in second in scoring defense and penalty kill. Likewise, Minnesota registers in the top five in all those categories except for penalty kill. Statistics aside, Johnson said an early test such as this is a good barometer and necessary for team growth.

“After the weekend’s over, both teams will have an indication of where we are,” Johnson said. “The whole thing is to get challenged, to find some obstacles that you have to get over and then go through them. That’s the only way you’re going to become a good team.”

Although Minnesota leads the all-time series 25-16-5, Wisconsin has dominated the rivalry recently, going 12-2-2 over the past three years, including a 3-2 overtime win in last year’s NCAA tournament. The recent record notwithstanding, senior goaltender Jessie Vetter said the rivalry is as heated as ever.

“It’s definitely just a healthy rivalry, just very good competition,” she said. “There’s always a little [extra] motivation just being Minnesota in general because they are a good team and we’ve faced them so much over the years.”

Contributing to the rivalry, many players from the two teams have participated alongside one another on various national squads, forging friendships across the state border. Johnson, though, isn’t concerned with off the ice bonds getting in the way of the competition.

“They’re friends — some of them are real good friends,” Johnson said. “But when the puck drops and you have a Gopher jersey on or a Badger jersey on, it becomes very competitive.”

Another predominant storyline entering the series is the importance of underclassmen to both teams. This week, Wisconsin forward Brooke Ammerman and Minnesota forward Monique Lamoureux shared the WCHA Rookie of the Week honor.

Johnson expressed great satisfaction in the play of his freshmen, who have supplied 32 of the team’s 141 points.

“Some of the younger players had some great statistics coming in here for their respective teams,” Johnson said. “But you got to make the adjustment to college hockey, and they’ve done that quite well. You look at our scoring right now — it’s pretty balanced, pretty even. The younger players are right in that mix.”

With all the offensive accolades credited to both teams, the defenses can get lost in the shuffle. Under the radar, though, defenseman Alycia Matthews is tied for first in the country in points per game for a defenseman. Freshman Brittany Haverstock is tied for fifth. Matthews said the defensive unit has been working hard preparing for the incoming Gophers.

“It’s always a big rivalry, so [the rivalry] always comes up before the game,” she said. “I think that once you get a feel for what they do then we’re really good at changing our systems to meet theirs. I think we will get tested this weekend.”