The Badgers will travel to Columbus this Friday and Saturday for a two-game series against a struggling Ohio State team.
The Buckeyes’ defense has allowed at least four goals in five of their last six outings.
As for Wisconsin, the Badgers are looking for their first road win since Dec. 12 when they defeated Michigan State 3-0 in East Lansing.
The last time these two teams met they tied 4-4 at the Kohl Center.
For both teams, this series will boil down to the play in net. UW’s freshman standout Matt Jurusik has struggled as of late. If UW hopes to come out of Columbus with one or multiple wins it will count on Jurusik to provide a defensive boost.
Similarly, Ohio State needs more consistent play from its goaltending position. The Buckeyes have alternated between both Christian Frey and Matt Tomkins between the pipes all year long.
On the offensive side of the puck, Wisconsin will look to maximize freshman forward Luke Kunin’s ice time. In just 27 games, Kunin leads the team in goals (13) and is second in points (23).
In addition to Kunin, junior forward Grant Besse figures to be the flame that ignites any offensive fire from the Badgers. Besse leads the team in points on the season (26) and has played tremendous defensively as of late.
Despite a seemingly disappointing year for the inexperienced Badgers, this series presents an opportunity to make a jump in the Big Ten standings as the season comes to a close.
