The No. 12 Wisconsin men's hockey team returns to the Kohl Center this weekend for its last regular season home series against the No. 13 Minnesota State Mavericks. The series will have many ramifications for the Western Collegiate Hockey Association standings, as both Wisconsin and Minnesota State sit tied for fourth place with 22 points.
The Badgers (9-9-4 WCHA, 13-11-6 overall) are coming off a weekend series high up in Houghton, Mich., where they took 3-of-4 points from the Michigan Tech Huskies.
The Mavericks (9-9-4, 15-10-4) swept Alaska Anchorage last weekend and are currently riding a six-game winning streak, having swept their last three series.
Offensively Minnesota State is led by sophomore forward Trevor Bruess with 25 points (7 goals, 18 assists). Junior forward Mick Berge and senior forward Joel Hanson are tied for second with 19 points each.
In goal, junior Mike Zacharias has been the staple of a solid Maverick defense, and has a record of 14-7-4. His 2.18 Goals Against Average is good enough for fourth in the WCHA, and his .919 save percentage currently ranks seventh.
Wisconsin will counter Minnesota State's defense with a formidable offense. Freshman forward Kyle Turris (11,18) leads the team with 29 points, while junior forward Ben Street (12,14) has chipped in 26 of his own. Sophomore forward Blake Geoffrion has also played well as of late, and is now third on the team with 24 points (8,16).
All three forwards generally play on different lines, showing the consistency and skill that all of UW's lines bring to the ice.
Junior goaltender Shane Connelly has found his stride in his first full season as a starter, and currently ranks fifth in the WCHA with 2.19 GAA, right behind Zacharias. However, Connelly holds the lead in winning percentage with .921.
Overall, both teams are very similar. Wisconsin and Minnesota State are tied in conference with 2.45 goals per game, and are within a point of each other in many other categories.
The difference may come in the periods themselves, as Wisconsin has heavily outscored its opponents in the third period this season, while Minnesota State has done the same in the second.
Saturday's contest will also be Senior Night, as UW says goodbye to team captain and defenseman Davis Drewiske, defenseman and assistant captain Kyle Klubertanz and forwards Matthew Ford and Josh Engel.
With only three weekends left before the WCHA Playoffs, a sweep by either team or even a tie will resonate throughout the rest of the conference.
The puck drops Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 8 p.m. Both games will be aired on FSN North.
