Wisconsin’s postseason aspirations took a hit with two losses to Minnesota.
Last weekend’s trip to Minneapolis was not what the Wisconsin Badgers men’s hockey team had in mind when they packed their bags. The Badgers were on a warm streak, losing once in regulation over their past 17 games and finally ascending back into the USCHO rankings, clocking in at No. 17. Win or lose, every game this year has been competitive, save for the second game of the Denver series.
Then they ran into an angry Gopher team at Mariucci Arena coming off a disappointing outing the weekend prior.
There is good news and bad news following the most recent Border Battle. Let’s just take our medicine first, considering we’ve already been left with a pretty bad taste in our mouths.
The bad news
That was easily the worst series of the season for the Badgers. Wisconsin (11-14-3 overall, 6-11-1 B1G) came in looking to claw their way over .500 for the first time in this campaign and now sits three games behind in the win column. It’s not just that the Badgers lost, it’s that Minnesota largely had their way with them when it mattered.
After spotting the Badgers a two-goal lead in the first on Friday night, the now-No. 3 Minnesota Gophers (21-6-3 overall, 12-4-2 B1G) scored five unanswered to win 5-2. Wisconsin dominated the first period and had the boys buzzing, but the script completely flipped for the next two periods with Minnesota taking complete control.
Saturday started with a stalemate for the first two periods before the Gophers exploded for four goals in the third, skating to a 4-1 victory. The bulk of the damage came just shy of the halfway point in the third period, when Minnesota began a five-minute stretch that included three goals to help bury the Badgers. All in all, Minnesota scored eight unanswered between games one and two.
Coming into the weekend, the Badgers ranked 16th in the PairWise Rankings, and a strong series against Minnesota would have gone a long way toward strengthening their case for the postseason. All the more reason Saturday’s game felt extra stressful, it seemed like a desperation spot after failing to capitalize on a two-goal lead the night before. For nearly 50 minutes of game time, there was no releasing the tension in hopes of finally breaking the seal. Then it was over in an instant thanks to the flurry of Gopher goals.
The Badgers missed out on a golden opportunity at a point when it felt like they were finally ready to turn the corner. Minnesota and their high-powered offense are no slouch, but Wisconsin has stood toe-to-toe with the big boys all year. It was a disappointing pair of results. That being said, all hope is not lost.
The good news
While both games ultimately ended in ugly defeats, there are a couple of takeaways that make me feel the Badgers are still capable of putting it together. First, they started the series strong. Yes, it feels like an empty platitude knowing the result. But Wisconsin obviously took the ice Friday night treating this like it was the most important game of the year. Getting the offense going early hasn’t always been easy this season, and they came out throwing the first punch. Did that emotional edge wear off after the first when Minnesota took control? I’d probably say so.
That leads to my second takeaway – despite the lopsided Saturday result, the Badgers played incredibly well for 49 minutes, holding one of college hockey’s best offenses down after suffering a brutal loss the night before. That was championship-level hockey for two and a half periods.
The other good news is that the Badgers still have a pulse. This week, they are ranked 17th in the PairWise Rankings, dropping only one spot. The margin for error is thin with six games remaining. As the selection committee states, “Only teams with a winning percentage of .500 or better that have played at least 20 games against Division I teams are eligible to be an at-large selection.”
Wisconsin currently sits three games below .500 with six games left against Penn State (No. 20 PairWise), Ohio State (No. 11 PairWise), and Notre Dame (No. 40 PairWise). It’s time to start breaking out the brooms if the Badgers want to put on their dancing shoes.