Wisconsin has an opportunity to earn points with their archrival visiting the Kohl Center.
Familiar foes meet at the Kohl Center for the 312th and 313th time when the puck drops for this weekend’s Border Battle. The Badgers come into the game looking to ride some of the momentum built last week in South Bend and stop their rival’s six-game winning streak.
The Wisconsin Badgers (2-6 overall, 1-3 B1G) technically enter the series in second place, having played four B1G games so far while everyone else has either played two or none at all. Despite the slow start, last week’s split with Notre Dame provides hope that they can right the ship over the remainder of the season.
The next opportunity comes against the No. 3 Minnesota Gophers (7-1 overall, 2-0 B1G). Minnesota swept No. 19 Penn State last week in Minneapolis and are giving up just over one and a half goals per game behind goaltenders Liam Souliere and Nathan Airey. The duo has surrendered five goals in their last five games, presenting an interesting puzzle for the often offensively challenged Badgers.
On the offensive end, the Gophers are deep. Last year’s leading scorer, Jimmy Snuggerud, is still around, but he doesn’t even crack Minnesota’s top four goal scorers at this point in the season. They boast four first-round draft picks on a team littered with drafted players and score nearly five goals per game, trailing only No. 1 Denver in scoring among teams who have played multiple games this season.
Senior netminder Tommy Scarfone will have his work cut out for him, but he’s been trending in the right direction. He earned both starts at Notre Dame last week, and while his save percentage is hovering below .900, Scarfone has limited the damage and done his part to keep the Badgers in games. His 1-4 record is misleading, as his four losses include two low-scoring overtime defeats and a loss against No. 1 Denver, who didn’t put the game away until their late empty-netter.
Wisconsin is outshooting their opponents 186-114 in Scarfone’s five starts, but only provided seven goals to support the goalie’s efforts. If the support shows up this weekend the Badgers may have an opportunity to steal points from the Gophers, which would go a long way toward fixing fans’ perception of the team as B1G play starts to get serious.
Both nights in Madison will be themed and feature some giveaways. Attendees Friday night should sport their finest Canadian tuxedos for denim night, and the first 800 students will get a customizable denim hat. Saturday night is a white out at the Kohl Center, with foam glow sticks doled out to the first 7,000 fans, and light up glasses for the first 1,000 students.
Both Border Battle games will air on B1G+.
Game Info
Game 1
Date: Friday, October 24
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Place: Madison, WI | Kohl Center
TV: B1G+ | Radio: 1310 AM WIBA
Game 2
Date: Saturday, October 25
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Place: Madison, WI | Kohl Center
TV: B1G+ | Radio: 1070 AM The Game