Following a disappointing split at Ohio State, the Wisconsin women’s hockey team begins preparation this week for perhaps its biggest weekend of the season. As they do so, the ceiling of the hockey rink will be replaced by blue skies for what is sure to be the sporting event of the winter.
“We’re looking forward to finally getting on the outdoor ice,” interim head coach Tracey DeKeyser said. “I know a lot of our players are very appreciative and just pumped to be part of such a great hockey celebration with the Culver’s Camp Randall Hockey Classic.”
The novelty of outdoor hockey arrives in Madison just in time to elevate the already big stage being set between Wisconsin and Bemidji State.
Coming off the split series on the road against Ohio State, Wisconsin (15-10-3, 12-9-1) sits alone in third place of the WCHA but with little room to breath. Bemidji State rests at fourth place and is eyeing third as they rest only one point behind Wisconsin in the standings.
With six games remaining in the regular season, the playoff race has begun to heat up. The Badgers aim to lock up a top-four finish within the WCHA so as to host a best-of-three series in the WCHA playoffs. Four teams — including Wisconsin and Bemidji State — are separated by as many as three points for the final two spots.
Moreover, the Badgers are sitting on the fringe of the top eight in the national standings and will need convincing victories down the stretch in order to secure an NCAA tournament birth.
“With Bemidji right on our heels, just one point behind us, every point that we are able to gather is so crucial,” DeKeyser said. “Not just for the WCHA playoffs, but for the national standings and just for hopefully getting voted in at the end of the year.”
DeKeyser realizes while the outdoor classic is a special event, she cannot allow her team to get too sidetracked by the game’s unique qualities.
As such, DeKeyser will have the team practice outdoors all week in order for the team to adjust to the outdoor conditions and shed any distracting sense of novelty.
“Hopefully getting out a couple days in advance and getting through the novelty of the whole situation will help,” DeKeyser said. “It’s funny, I went out yesterday to Vilas Park to kind of ‘prep’ myself for the weekend, and I got complete wind burn on my face, so my advice to them will be put Vaseline on your cheeks before you go out.”
Nevertheless, DeKeyser happily admits a big reason why she is excited for the game at Camp Randall is exactly for what the game is — a hockey game outdoors.
Nearly the entire roster of Badgers, as well as DeKeyser, grew up in cold climates while playing hockey outdoors. Among them, the Camp Randall Classic will certainly stir up fond memories of their youth.
When asked about her level of excitement for the game, DeKeyser answered by getting lost in an old memory of her youth in Ashton, Ontario when she would play hockey outside of her house.
“It just reminds me of being a kid,” she said. “I was a huge hockey enthusiast as a child. I remember I had about an hour bus ride home and I used to sit by the window and I used to evaluate the ditches on the way home and see the ice conditions, because when I got home, if our ditch was just perfect, I would be shoveling it off and making sure that I could get out there a couple hours before hockey practice.
“This just brings me back to the reality of the game and what we all live for, you know, when you’re eight to 15 years old. This is just a great reminder of our roots and I think our players have a shared experience.”
