Fresh off of an overtime win and a draw against the unranked Bemidji State Beavers, the No. 1 Wisconsin Badgers (24-1-1-0) return to the ice this weekend for a pair of games versus the St. Cloud State Huskies (6-15-3).
Although the Badgers earned the extra points against the Beavers last weekend in Bemidji in overtime and later in their shootout, the Badgers didn’t necessarily have the start they wanted. Forward Brette Pettet noted to uwbadgers.com that in the second game, the team “could have come out a little stronger at the start.”
The Huskies, currently unranked, have had a tough time this season mounting any sustained success. They have won only six out of their 24 games, and have lost twice this season to Wisconsin by a combined 4-0 score. Historically, the Badgers are 72-8-2 against St. Cloud State and have not lost since 2015.
Despite the sobering statistics, St. Cloud State has been unbeaten in three of its last five games. The Huskies look to bring this energy to Madison with a three-game winning streak. Forwards Kayla Friesen, Hallie Theodosopoulos and Laura Kluge have combined for 18 points in their last five games as St. Cloud State is playing better of hockey of late.
Even with the Huskies’ recent winning streak, Wisconsin has not been beaten at home in 24 games. St. Cloud State will face a tough test against Wisconsin’s balanced scoring prowess and stalwart defense.
Puck drop Saturday is set for 2 p.m. The teams will meet again 24 hours later on Sunday after with the opening faceoff again set for 2 p.m.
