March 17, 2000-that was the last time the No. 5 Wisconsin Badgers (3-1-0 Western Collegiate Hockey Association, 5-1-0 overall) beat the No. 4 Minnesota Gophers (3-1-0, 5-2-0) in Minneapolis. Wisconsin has lost six games in its last three meetings in the Twin Cities, but will try to put an end to that streak this weekend.
Junior assistant captain defenseman Tom Gilbert, a Bloomington, Minn., native, remembers watching the Gophers when he was in high school and, after missing the series in which Wisconsin took three points from Minnesota at the Kohl Center last year, will be looking for his first victory over his home-state rival.
\In my career I'm 0-6,"" Gilbert said. ""It was fun watching them when I was in high school, but now when you play there it's not as fun. They play very well in their rink.""
While the Badgers are fired up to face the Gophers, Head Coach Mike Eaves tried to keep his Badgers focused on the game.
""If anything you want to hold them back a little bit,"" Eaves said.
""We're trying to find that happy medium between getting too excited and not being excited enough,"" sophomore forward Jake Dowell said.
Nobody on this Badger team has ever beaten Minnesota in Minneapolis, something they will try to do this weekend on their first road trip of the year. While it is still early in the WCHA season, the team knows that every point matters when it comes to the end of the season.
""It's huge. At the end of the year it could be three, two or even one point difference between two teams,"" junior forward Nick Licari said.
Licari and Dowell team up with sophomore forward Ross Carlson as one line that has made great strides already this season. The line has combined for 10 goals and nine assists through six games.
The Badgers will need more help from that line this weekend as freshman forward Matt Auffrey went out last weekend with a broken wrist. Junior forward A.J. Degenhardt is expected to take Auffrey's spot on the Badgers' top line with junior forward Ryan MacMurchy and sophomore forward Andrew Joudrey.
Senior goalie Bernd Br??ckler will start Friday for the Badgers. Many fans have already began calling for sophomore Brian Elliott, who has two shutouts in two starts this season, but the Badgers are not going to give up on Br??ckler so soon.
""It's definitely way too early [to get down on him],"" Gilbert said. ""It's one of those things where he just can't find it, and it happens in every sport. He's going to come around.""
With six goals per game, second in the nation to Cornell, the Badgers are doing all they can to help the All-American goalie. He will have to buckle down against the Gophers, who are scoring four goals per game and have scored 18 goals in their last three games.
The Badgers will begin their quest for victory in Minneapolis tonight at 7:07 p.m. and again on Saturday at the same time.
