the conditions. Mersch has attended a handful
of Chicago Bears games at the new Soldier Field.
He even went to a few at the old venue. In fact, he
has been known to wear his Brian Urlacher jersey
around the UW locker room at the Kohl Center.
���I take a little heat for it,������ he said.
All is forgiven, for now, since everyone is united and focused on another jersey, the throwback
sweater of the Gophers. ���First off, it���s a rivalry
game,������ Mersch said. ���We���re real close in the standings and on top of it all we have the outdoor game,
too. There will be a lot of battling and grinding.������
What will be running through Mersch���s mind,
maybe his blood, when he skates on to the ice for
the first time at Soldier Field? ���I don���t like that ���M���
very much,������ he said. Close enough. Minnesota���s
maroon sweaters feature ���Gophers������ diagonally
across the chest. Either or. ���We���ve got a game to
win.������
������������
Ramage���s advice to his
teammates? ���Enjoy the
atmosphere. These games
only happen every few years
and some guys don���t get to
play in one at all. Just play
the game just like you would
any other game.������
Wisconsin���s senior defenseman John Ramage remembered shooting pucks through the goal posts
during practice the day before the 2010 Michigan
game at Camp Randall Stadium. He also remembered the reaction to Smith scoring in the third period. ���It was loud, that���s for sure,������ he said.
PHOTO GALLERY: THE BADGERS��� OUTDOOR ROOTS
PHOTOS:
46 �� VARSITY
FEB R UA RY 14, 2013
