Men’s Hockey
The men’s hockey team (8-6-6 WCHA, 11-9-6 overall) saw its 11-game WCHA win streak come to an abrupt end this past weekend in North Dakota, where they only managed to secure one point after tying and then falling to the Fighting Sioux.
The Badgers are back at home this weekend to take on Bemidji State at the Kohl Center. Friday night’s game will be preceded by a special ceremony honoring the 30th anniversary of the 1983 NCAA championship team, when former Badger, NHL star and U.S. hockey hall of famer Chris Chelios will drop the puck.
After going unbeaten against conference rivals, head coach Mike Eaves admitted that being unable to beat North Dakota was pretty surprising. “I think our standards have been so high,” Eaves said at Monday’s press conference. “It was tough to go back and watch that game [yesterday].”
Eaves stated that the small misstep isn’t reason enough for the team to get worked up about losing, but rather an opportunity for them to fine-tune the small details.
“We’re not getting bent out of shape,” he said. “We have some things we need to adjust a little bit, and we’ll get back to work today and do those things.”
Senior forward Derek Lee is still dealing with some residual headaches, which Eaves mentioned that team physicians are working to get to the root of.
“We’re trying to figure out if it’s his neck muscles causing those lingering headaches or if it’s the [concussion],” he said. “But he’s able to go to school and do all of his cognitive stuff.”
The Badgers will also most likely be without sophomore defenseman Jake McCabe, who suffered an ankle injury in Saturday’s game.
Men’s Basketball
The Badger men’s basketball team (6-3 Big Ten, 15-7 overall) won Sunday afternoon’s match against Illinois, and will host Big Ten rival Iowa (3-6, 14-8) this Wednesday at the Kohl Center.
Head coach Bo Ryan met with the media on Monday to discuss his team’s success on the road and within the conference.
“All you’re trying to do, when you’re drilling your players, when you’re working on things, is the upcoming opponent, their tendencies, what we do against people that do this, this and this,” Ryan said.
Wisconsin has already faced the Hawkeyes once this year, where the Badgers fell 70-66, due to a system that Ryan admits his team will have to step up to compete with.
“They certainly can play,” he said. “They have guys with experience. They have depth. [They] are as good as any team I’ve seen in the league.”
Sophomore forward Frank Kaminsky returned to action on Sunday after injury setbacks had caused him to miss four games, and he is likely to play again against Iowa.
Women’s Basketball
The women’s basketball team (2-7 Big Ten, 10-12 overall) is coming off two Big Ten conference games, which included an upset over Penn State 63-61, and a loss to Illinois 64-56.
The Badgers head to Columbus to take on Ohio State (2-7, 12-10) for the second time in less than three weeks, continuing their conference play.
Head coach Bobbie Kelsey, who admits she wasn’t too pleased with Sunday’s loss, spoke on Monday about her team’s ongoing learning process about staying consistent in their game.
“I want them to understand that we can’t have lulls and dips,” she said. “We have to be very consistent, and our margin for error is very, very slim. They’re learning how to win and how to build that tradition and culture in this program.”
Kelsey knows the Buckeyes will be looking to for revenge after the Badgers took the first match, and she also hopes it can be a bounce-back moment for the team.
“We’ll take that challenge like we always do and prepare for it. It will be interesting to see how this team comes back after a loss that we probably—we were right there, and we let it just kind of slip away.”
