At the beginning of the season, most people would not have guessed that a game in January between Minnesota and Wisconsin would feature the two last place teams in the Big Ten. As both teams are struggling to turn things around, a two-game stretch at Mariucci has the potential to change a season for either side.
PREGAME NOTES
Wisconsin (2-12-0 overall, 0-2-0 Big Ten) vs. No. 13/16 Minnesota (10-7-1 overall, 1-2-1 Big Ten)
Friday, 8:10 p.m. CT on BTN – Mariucci Arena (10,000)
Saturday, 5:05 p.m. CT on FSN – Mariucci Arena
Bouncing Back
Minnesota will look to rebound after getting swept at Michigan. The Gophers fell 4-3 in overtime on Friday and lost a wild 7-5 matchup on Saturday. Heading into this series, Minnesota knows they will have to be better on the defensive end.
“We’re not that far away but obviously we’re not playing at the level we need to play at,” said Don Lucia. “The big thing is, we have to be better defensively than we have. You can’t give up three or more goals on a nightly basis and expect to win.”
As the Gophers were trying to generate offense and claw back into games, they left themselves exposed. Cleaning up the blue line is a priority if the Maroon and Gold want to sweep Bucky out of town.
“This past weekend, it’s been a struggle on offense so maybe at times we’re cheating on defense to try and create offense and that’s going to hurt you in the long run,” said Lucia.
Historic Rivalry
The Gophers have the lead in the all-time series and it isn’t even close. Minnesota is 159-90-21 against the Badgers and 90-28-8 when playing in Minneapolis. To put that in perspective, Wisconsin would have to win three of four meetings every year for the next 35 years before they took control of the series. Although both teams are struggling this season, playing a rival always brings out the best in these two storied programs.
“We’re all focused for Wisconsin this weekend,” said Brady Skjei. “It’s a huge rivalry; should be a lot of fun.”
After getting swept by Michigan, Minnesota is eager to take the ice against the hated Badgers.
“It didn’t really matter who we were going to play this weekend; we were going to come out with the same mindset,” said Connor Reilly. “It’s going to be fun to play Wisconsin. It’s obviously a storied rivalry. It’s going to be a two tough games.”
Season to Date
With Minnesota struggling, the Badgers are the only team in the conference that the Gophers can look at and say, “Well, at least we aren’t THEM.” Wisconsin is off to a historically bad start, posting a 2-12-2 record overall. To be fair, the Badgers have played a treacherous schedule with the likes of North Dakota, Michigan Tech, Denver, and Boston University already in the books. The thing about a rivalry series like this is that previous records rarely seem to matter much.
Coaching Preview
Mike Eaves is in his 13th season as the head coach of men’s hockey at Wisconsin. He has complied 257 wins over his tenure. He led the Badgers to the school’s sixth NCAA National Championship in 2006, when the Badgers finished the year 30-10-3. Eaves also won a NCAA title while playing for the Badgers in 1977; a season where he scored 28 goals and added 53 assists for 81 points. Eaves went on to play eight seasons in the NHL. He spent part of five seasons with the Minnesota North Stars.
Badger to Watch
No. 12 Grant Besse – The former Benilde St. Margaret’s standout and Minnesota Mr. Hockey award winner is second on the Badgers with eight points (3g, 5a). While he only has three goals, it isn’t for lack of trying. Besse leads the team with 42 shots for a whopping .071 shooting percentage. Even though his point production hasn’t been high this season, he is still one of the more dangerous offensive players for Wisconsin—which isn’t saying much.
Background
Location: Madison, Wisc.
Enrollment: 42,818
Conference: Big Ten
Mascot: Bucky Badger
Colors: Cardinal and White
Coach: Mike Eaves (13th Season)