Coming off its first series without a win since Dec. 7-8, the Wisconsin men’s hockey team (8-6-6 WCHA, 11-9-6 overall) will look to rebound this weekend as it hosts Bemidji State (4-12-4, 5-16-5) at the Kohl Center.
The Badgers tied against North Dakota last Friday before seeing their 11-game conference win streak snapped in a 4-1 loss Saturday.
“Obviously North Dakota was a tough weekend, but again, one point there, we’ll take it and move on,” junior forward Michael Mersch said. “It’s been a good run so far and we’re looking to keep adding on to it. That was one bad weekend—but whatever, it’s over with—we’re going to keep moving forward.”
Going off past success, Wisconsin could not ask for a better opponent to play in Bemidji State, a team UW has never lost against in its history (5-0-0). Despite their victories over the Beavers in years past, the Badgers are not expecting this series to go down without a fight.
“It’s about what’s in front of us right now—that never changes,” head coach Mike Eaves said. “They are a team that will work extremely hard, they’re well coached—they will give themselves a chance to win by doing those two things.”
Bemidji State is currently on a 10-game winless streak and is coming off of a sweep at the hands of St. Cloud State at home. Senior forwards Brance Orban and Jordan George, who lead the Beavers in points (17) and goals (10), respectively.
Despite Bemidji State’s recent struggles, the Badgers are not looking past their opponent toward next week’s series with Minnesota, which includes the Hockey City Classic game at Soldier Field in Chicago.
“The outdoor game is going to be an awesome experience, but we have to focus on this weekend,” Mersch said. “These are some big points here that we need to capitalize on.”
After last week’s road trip, Wisconsin will not have another true road game until March 1. With five home games and one game in Chicago, the Badgers will have the rest of the month to take advantage of their home ice.
“We’ve been playing really well on the road and at home we haven’t had as much success, especially early, and we’re starting to pick that up and come into our own,” junior forward Tyler Barnes said. “We owe it to the fans to have success here. That’s where we have to come through for them.”
The Badgers will be without two of their top players for at least half of this weekend’s series, as senior center Derek Lee (concussion) and sophomore defenseman Jake McCabe (ankle) will both sit out of Friday’s game, according to Eaves.
Regular starters Lee, McCabe, junior forward Mark Zengerle and freshman forward Nic Kerdiles have all missed time this season, but Wisconsin has found success without them.
“We’ve dealt with adversity before and hopefully we can even be better at it because we’ve lived through it before,” Eaves said. “I think these guys have been around enough to know that when one guy gets nicked … the understudies are ready to go. They work hard in practice and they’re looking for these opportunities, and they’re really ready to go.”
“Some guys have had to step up—different guys every weekend,” Mersch said regarding his team’s success despite injuries. “Obviously it sucks to have them out—it’s a disappointment—but once they come back, we’re looking forward to having them.”
The puck drops at 7 p.m. both Friday and Saturday at the Kohl Center.
