After suffering back-to-back two-game sweeps against Penn State and Minnesota, the Badgers (1-7-2 Big Ten, 4-12-6 overall) will look to right the ship this weekend with the Alaska Nanooks (5-11-4 WCHA, 7-13-4 overall) in town.
Similar to Wisconsin, Alaska has struggled over the last month. The two teams have combined for just seven wins in their last 15 games.
For UW, this matchup presents a great opportunity to get back to playing like the team that beat No.1 North Dakota earlier in the year.
According to head coach Mike Eaves, the team needs to “go back to playing hard and [winning] battles.”
If Wisconsin is going to be winning any battles throughout this season, they are going to need exceptional play from their forwards.
Forwards Grant Besse, Luke Kunin and Seamus Malone will figure to pose as serious scoring threats against the Nanooks.
Besse leads the team in points (20), while Kunin is tied for first on the team in goals scored (9).
On the other side of the puck, however, is dangerous senior center Tyler Morley.
Recently nominated for the Hobey Baker Award recognizing the top NCAA men’s ice hockey player, Morley has proved to be nothing but perfect. In 23 games, the senior forward has tallied 12 goals and 11 assists on just 94 shots.
This weekend’s series holds tremendous weight for a desperate Wisconsin bunch. With the upcoming series against familiar Big Ten foes, UW will have to skate with a sharper edge Friday and Saturday night.
If the Badgers hope to earn just a single win this weekend, containing Morley and unleashing their forwards will be key ingredients in the recipe.
Both Friday’s and Saturday’s games will start at 7 p.m. at the Kohl Center.
