This Wisconsin team was rescued from a shaky start by a freakishly long home stand in the middle of the year. They’ve carried the momentum from their two months at the Kohl Center into the second half, and have worked their way into position for a #2 seed in the NCAA tournament, and possibly even a #1 seed.
For more on the Badgers
For more on the Badgers
Statistically, Wisconsin is where we find the border between the cream of the B1G Ten hockey conference and the flavorless leftover skim milk. On the strength of goaltender Joel Rumple’s outstanding junior campaign, this team allows a mere 2.30 goals against per game. That type of defense will win a lot of games in this conference.
On the other side of the ice, Wisconsin has a couple of pure scorers in Nic Kerdiles and Marc Zengerle, both of whom average more than a point per game. Senior Michael Mersch also deserves a mention as he has over thirty points to his credit. The Badgers are the first team to cross the three goals per game threshold, potting 3.10 GPG.
Based on those numbers, Wisconsin is a pretty lethal team, as Minnesota found out a few weeks ago in Madison. When the Badgers play solid defense (which is most of the time), they have the offensive firepower to put teams away. They’ve also found their stride in the second half, and benefit from only having to play two games to win the tournament championship.