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Herald sports editors Adam Holt and Max Henson preview the Camp Randall Hockey Classic

For the Wisconsin women’s hockey team, never before has such a critical series been mixed with so much cheerfulness.

Wisconsin (15-10-3, 12-9-1) will meet Bemidji State (8-13-7, 7-8-7) this weekend in a showdown for third place in the WCHA under special circumstances.

The two teams will clash in the first ever outdoor hockey game in women’s WCHA history in the Culver’s Camp Randall Hockey Classic.

While the outdoor battle will most certainly kindle nostalgic feelings of the game’s roots for the Badgers, this weekend’s series is pivotal in the push for the postseason.

UW stands one point ahead of BSU in the WCHA standings for third place and rests one spot outside the top eight in the polls.

A series sweep could establish some breathing room between Wisconsin and the rest of the conference in hopes of clinching a home series in the WCHA playoffs and propel the team back into the national top eight and NCAA tournament.

Senior forward Jasmine Giles recognized a balancing act between personal enjoyment and honest concentration would be required.

“We want to have fun with this, you know, it’s something that no one else is going to be able to experience, so we want to be able to have smiles on our faces, but also take the series really seriously because it’s really important for us right now,” she said.

“They’re nipping at our heels right now for that third spot, and nationally ranked, we’re just almost not really ranked anymore so from here on out we just got to make sure that we have fun but that we take this really seriously.”

Although the outdoors is where many of players learned the sport, the change in scenery has presented some new elements that could affect the game.

The Badgers began practicing on the outdoor rink Wednesday and after one practice, interim head coach Tracey DeKeyser and several players acknowledged the sun as the source of multiple fundamental changes.

The contrast from the sun’s glare to darker shadowy areas will have an affect on the puck’s visibility while DeKeyser noted the ice did get a little slushy at one end of the rink. Giles went as far as to say it made it a “whole different game.”

“There’s just so many different elements,” Giles said. “It was really difficult to skate and move the puck really well. So hopefully we get used to it a little better before the weekend.”

Like Camp Randall’s regular athletes, the Badger skaters have donned eye black to reduce the sun’s glare.

With the puck scheduled to drop at 2 p.m., the sun could have an impact over the game as long as clear skies are present. Regardless, sophomore forward Carolyne Prevost noted the speed of the puck will be increased.

“I think the puck is going a lot faster,” she said. “I just think it’s going to be a quick game, and a lot faster than what we’re used to. We’re going to have to be ready for it, so this week we’re just preparing for that.”

In their previous meeting this season, the Badgers split the series on the road. In the opening matchup, UW’s offense was outdone by BSU’s sophomore goalie, Zuzana Tomcikova, in a 1-0 shutout. Wisconsin fired back in the finale, winning 3-1.

The Beavers, who in preseason polls were expected to finish last in the WCHA, have been a surprise team this year, in competing for a top four finish. DeKeyser characterized them as an advantageous unit.

“They’re pretty good at getting odd man rushes against teams, simply because it’s not a very complex game,” she said. “They play it really simply, but they like to chip and go out of the zone and they really take advantage of defenses when pinching, so we have to be careful on our forecheck.”

While Wisconsin’s struggles to take advantage of scoring opportunities has hurt the team all year, the Badgers have recently begun to execute more thoroughly, scoring 15 goals in the last four games — including five on the power play.

Coming off a WCHA Rookie of the Week award after recording her first hat trick, freshman forward Brianna Decker thinks the offense has finally tied the loose ends together.

“I think that our lines are finding a lot of chemistry now and I think that our heads are always up on the ice,” Decker said. “We’re finding sticks that we need to find and we’re crashing the net too, which is helping put the puck away.”