Women’s Hockey
The women’s hockey team (17-9-2 WCHA, 23-9-2 overall)) will face third-seeded North Dakota (18-9-1, 25-10-1) in the semifinal of the WCHA Final Face-Off Friday and with a victory, will play either Minnesota or Ohio State in the final Saturday.
The Badgers are currently riding an eight-game winning streak, with their most recent win against St. Cloud State. Johnson described the win as difficult, saying “the toughest thing in our business is to try to eliminate and end someone’s season.”
“We knew Saturday night St. Cloud was going to come out, especially their seniors,” Johnson said. “They didn’t want to finish their careers off on Saturday, but we were able to withstand a little diversity and challenges in the second period and came out in the third period and scored a couple power play goals. Now we have the right to play one more game on Friday.”
Men’s Hockey
The men’s hockey team (12-7-7 WCHA, 16-11-7 overall) completed a road sweep of Nebraska-Omaha last weekend and will go into the final weekend of the regular season tied for fourth in the WCHA.
Still capable of finishing anywhere from first to seventh in the standings, the Badgers will host first place St. Cloud State (17-8-1, 20-13-1) at the Alliant Energy Center this weekend. Head coach Mike Eaves called the Nebraska-Omaha series as a “great reward for the kids as we go down the stretch.”
Eaves also described the Alliant Energy Center as “almost a neutral site,” but also noted the team’s success on the road as a source of confidence, relishing the opportunity to play a top team.
“The one thing that keeps popping up in athletics is no matter what the rankings say where teams are, you have to play.
Men’s Indoor Track and Field
The men’s indoor track and field team earned a dramatic win at the Big Ten championships and will now send seven athletes to the 2013 NCAA Indoor Championships.
Head coach Ed Nuttycombe previewed the competition, identifying the top contenders and Wisconsin’s place at the competition.
“I think the top two teams going in are Florida and Arkansas. Of course, Arkansas is at home. That’s always a little bit of an advantage,” Nuttycombe said. “We’ll go, and we’ll do the best we can and see what happens.”
Nuttycombe also described tough strategic decisions he will have to make, particularly what to do with sophomore Austin Mudd. “I think it boils down to which he has the most confidence in and which we, as coaching staff, see as the best opportunity to help the team.”
Wrestling
The wrestling team will compete in the Big Ten Championships in Champaign, Ill., this weekend. The Badgers will be led by two-time All American junior Tyler Graff and freshman Connor Medbery.
Head coach Barry Davis previewed the championships, saying it is “probably the toughest tournament in the country.” Davis also credited the Badgers’ extended break as an asset, going from “beat up physically” to “ready to go.”
Davis also took time to discuss wrestling’s recent departure from the Olympics. “ I think what they’ve got to do is change the rules again and go back to the 1980s where there’s more scoring that way. If you look at it now, it’s a little too much like judo in that way. Hopefully, there’s new things going on with the sport. With the new guy coming in with FITA, talking about rule changes, how can they make the sport more exciting, put it more in the athletes’ hands.”
Football
The football team will hold its pro day on Wednesday and open spring practice on Saturday.
Head coach Gary Andersen primarily discussed the departure of tight ends coach Jay Boulware, saying “I hired him. It’s my fault. It’s upsetting, and I brought the wrong guy in here. We’ll be better off as we move forward.” Andersen went on to say he “will never beg a coach to stay.”
Andersen also previewed spring practice, announcing that senior Jon Budmayr will take a role as a student coach and that he expects the quarterback competition to stretch into fall.
When asked about the possibility of a ten game Big Ten schedule, Andersen made it clear he was against it. “If we go to ten, there’s going to be a lot of sore kids, I’ll tell you that much.”
Also denounced were recent NCAA recruiting rule changes, as Andersen lamented the stress it would put on recruits and their high school coaches.
