ST. PAUL, Minn.—It took perfection against Penn State to send Wisconsin to the Big Ten Tournament championship.
With the inaugural season of Big Ten hockey coming to a close this weekend, six programs will attempt to become the first-ever Big Ten tournament champions. The Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., will play host to the tournament, which will take place March 20-22. Try and keep up as The Daily Cardinal breaks down the Big Ten’s inaugural bests and busts.
One year ago, the Penn State Nittany Lions dug themselves out of a 2-0 hole to beat the Badgers 3-2 in overtime, effectively spoiling UW's at-large postseason bid. With the Big Ten title on the line and the tournament just weeks away, Wisconsin was not about to let history repeat itself this weekend.
On a Friday night in March 2012, Michigan goalie Shawn Hunwick lost his final collegiate hockey game. Following the fateful overtime shot, Hunwick skated over to the opposing team’s bench and handed the puck over to its rightful owners.
Men’s Basketball
As Wisconsin reveled in its sweep of Michigan State, the nine seniors on the Badgers’ roster turned to face the student section. Together, they sang “Varsity” on home ice for the last time.
As the Badgers prepare to play in the Kohl Center for the last time this season, they also will be saying goodbye to nine team members.
For the second time in three weeks, Wisconsin (8-5-1 Big Ten, 17-9-2 overall) split their series with conference rival Ohio State (5-6-3, 15-10-3) falling to the Buckeyes 2-1 on Friday night before rallying for a 4-2 win on Saturday.
Carrying the confidence from a sweep of the previously top-ranked Gophers in the back of their minds, the No. 8 Badgers (7-4-1 Big Ten, 16-8-2 overall) will travel to Columbus to battle unranked Ohio State (4-5-3 Big Ten, 14-9-3 overall) this Valentine’s Day weekend.
Where did you grow up? Who was your team? What jersey did you get for your seventh birthday when being an athlete was the only job you ever wanted?
Perhaps the Badgers should consider adopting a new mantra for the season: There’s no place like home.
If there’s one series fans will circle on their calendars months in advance, it’s the annual matchup between the Wisconsin Badgers and the Minnesota Gophers. Through the transition from WCHA to Big Ten hockey, the Border Battle remains just as much of a battle as ever.
Monday Aug. 5, 2013, seemingly out of nowhere, the United States Hockey League (USHL) announced a new team in Madison, Wis.
A highlight-reel goal and Wisconsin’s first completed penalty shot since 1996 weren’t enough to propel the Badgers past the Wolverines in Ann Arbor this weekend.
Following a 12-game homestand that ended with a 10-2-0 record, the Badgers men’s hockey team (5-3-0 Big Ten, 14-7-1 overall) will travel to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan (4-2-0, 12-6-2) for their third consecutive conference matchup.
The nature of this past weekend’s series between Wisconsin and Ohio State mimicked that of a long-standing rivalry, not one that met on the ice for the first time ever.
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.
Frank Kaminsky, Men’s Basketball
Women’s Hockey vs. Minnesota, Feb. 14-15
Wisconsin (2-2-0 Big Ten, 6-5-1 overall) wanted to prove that they could bounce back after two tough road losses against conference foe Minnesota. When Penn State (0-2-0, 3-9-1) came to the Kohl Center for the second Big Ten matchup in as many weeks, the Badgers were ready to get their message across.
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