Coming off of an impressive three-point weekend on the road against Denver, the Wisconsin men’s hockey team (2-5-3 WCHA, 2-7-1 overall) is looking to continue turning their season around at home this weekend against Michigan Tech (3-6-1, 4-8-1).
“I think it doesn’t all happen at once,” senior center Derek Lee said about recovering from their poor start to the season. “One weekend doesn’t really change the fact that we still had this slow start, but it’s the start of something and we have to keep building off that.”
The Badger team found a way to relieve some stress with a win Saturday night, and for Lee, he took some pressure off himself by scoring his first goal of the season.
“It’s always tough to get the first one,” Lee said. “It does lighten the load on your shoulders a little bit and it feels good and builds confidence.”
Michigan Tech comes to Madison on a three game winless streak after having played five games in just nine days, including a 2-1 loss to Northern Michigan on Tuesday.
The Huskies swept UW in Houghton, MI. last season with two straight overtime victories.
“They play with a different kind of attitude,” Badger head coach Mike Eaves said. “They're a lot more aggressive off the faceoffs and in their approach to what they want to do.”
This season, Michigan Tech is led on offense by freshman forward Alex Petan, who has recorded four goals and nine assists in the teams’ 13 games.
Earlier this week, Eaves spoke about “reconnecting with the fans,” and bringing the energy back to the Kohl Center. Wisconsin has been swept in its only two home series this season, which sophomore defenseman Jake McCabe says in unacceptable.
“I don’t think anyone expected [this start], let alone the fans and its not fair for them to see Wisconsin hockey continue to disappoint them on our home ice,” McCabe said. “This weekend we need to prove to them that we can win and prove to ourselves that we can win on our home ice.”
One key to this weekend’s series for the Badgers will be the return of junior forward Mark Zengerle. UW’s returning scorer from a season ago, Zengerle missed the last six games with a broken finger.
“I think it will be real big,” Lee said of Zengerle’s return. “It might not be noticeable right away, but he does more things than just get on that score sheet for our team. I’m sure he’ll be able to come back right where he left off.”
The Badgers received strong performances in net last weekend from both of their sophomore goaltenders. Joel Rumpel and Landon Peterson each allowed just one goal in their respective starts, and Eaves said that both goalies have grown this season.
“I think [the Denver series] was another indication of how strong they can play,” he said. “It’s another step in showing how well the can play and how much trust we have in them.”
The teams will drop the puck at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights from the Kohl Center.
