After racking up nine wins in their last 10 games at home, the Wisconsin Badgers (4-2-0 Big Ten, 13-6-1 overall) aim to continue their dominance on home ice, hosting Ohio State (1-4-1, 11-8-1 overall) in their third conference matchup at the Kohl Center this year.
Despite the Badgers and Buckeyes’ historically heated rivalry both on the court and the field, this will be the first time they face-off on the ice.
“Obviously we go to football games and basketball games and see that rivalry,” said junior goaltender Joel Rumpel. “This is the first time we’re playing them, but I think it’ll grow into something big.”
Wisconsin is coming off a strong performance against Michigan, a series in which six different players scored goals and senior forward Michael Mersch netted a hat trick, giving the Badgers the sweep.
Mersch, nominated for the Hobey Baker award along with Rumpel and junior defenseman Jake McCabe, leads the team in scoring with 14 goals and 24 points.
“I’m always visually thinking about scoring goals,” Mersch said. “I love to do it. It helps this hockey team out.”
Adding to the Badgers’ momentum is their prowess at home: they are nearly perfect at the Kohl Center with a 12-1-1 record.
“It’s probably the oldest trick in the book, home ice,” Rumpel said. “Other teams are coming in from smaller ice surfaces. They don’t know how the boards bounce, don’t know the angles. And the fans are a huge part, as well.”
Ohio State met defeat in the Hockey City Classic last weekend, losing 1-0 to Minnesota at TCF Bank Stadium and 4-2 at Mariucci. The Buckeyes are also a strong home team, boasting a 10-3-1 record in Columbus.
However, Ohio State enters its series against Wisconsin with only one road win on the season.
“Talking to my friends who aren’t in athletics, they seem really excited that Ohio State and other Big Ten schools are coming in,” Mersch said. “It seems to be hyping up Badger hockey a bit more.”
The Ohio State matchup will cap off a 12-game homestand for the Badgers, who will head to Ann Arbor for a rematch against Michigan.
Wisconsin’s biggest weakness is its powerplay. Despite scoring two goals on the man advantage in their last two games, the Badgers are tied for last in the Big Ten in powerplay goals.
Head coach Mike Eaves experimented with putting freshman forward Grant Besse on the point against Michigan before replacing him with sophomore defenseman Kevin Schulze.
“We’ve been doing a lot of special teams work, more powerplay than we’ve ever done,” senior forward Mark Zengerle said. “We’re trying to tighten it up and get a little higher percentage.”
The first-ever puck drop between the Badgers and Buckeyes will take place at 8 p.m. Friday. Saturday’s game begins at 7 p.m. Both games are “whiteouts,” and fans are encouraged to swap their Badger red for white.
