INSIDE MEN���S HOCKEY
BY PAUL CAPOBIANCO
Two wins to Pittsburgh
Road to the Frozen Four begins for Badgers
W
hen Wisconsin began
the season 1-7-2, few
could realistically believed
it would finish 10 games
above .500. Few believed a
team enduring injuries, line
changes and early-season
coaching changes could turn
it around and contend for
a WCHA title come March.
Few believed a team that
went winless in the month of
November had any chance of
making the NCAA tournament.
���All the guys in the room
believed,��� senior captain
John Ramage said.
���Knowing how people
were thinking about our
team when we started out
that poorly,��� Tyler Barnes
46 �� VARSITY
MAR CH 28, 2013
said, ���people didn���t really
believe in us. We always had
that belief. I think it���s pride
now coming out being able
to show what we���re actually
capable of.���
The Badgers were capable
of putting together a streak
unfathomable in November,
and have gone 21-5-5 since
a 1-1 tie against then-No. 5
Denver on Nov. 30.
The Badgers made a lot of
believers last weekend, rolling to the WCHA Final Five
championship that included
wins over two top-10 teams.
Outscoring its opponents
14-5 over the three-game
tournament, Wisconsin continued its turnaround last
Saturday by defeating Colo-
@BadgerMHockey
SCHEDULE (22-12-7, 13-8-7)
Last Five
March 15
March 16
March 21
March 22
March 23
Minnesota Duluth W, 3-1
Minnesota Duluth W, 4-1
#8 Minnesota State W, 7-2
#7 St. Cloud State
W, 4-1
vs. Colorado CollegeW, 3-2
This Week (NCAA Northeast Regional)
Friday
#3 UMass Lowell* 3:30 pm
Saturday Regional Final
5:30 pm
* - winner advances
Coming Up (Frozen Four)
April 11 National Semifinal
April 13 Championship
TBD
TBD
rado College, 3-2, in the title game
and claiming the program���s first
Broadmoor Trophy since 1998.
The win also secured Wisconsin an
automatic berth in the 2013 NCAA
Tournament, which placed the Badgers as a No. 4 seed in the Northeast
Region and in a matchup with topseeded UMass Lowell on Friday.
���We definitely can win this game,���
Ramage said. ���All the guys believe it
in our locker room, too.���