INSIDE MEN'S HOCKEY BY PAUL CAPOBIANCO @BadgerMHockey
Home ice the goal for
surging Wisconsin Badgers have gone 7-2-1 since Nov. 25
T
he competition heats up for the Badgers as the
last 10 games of the regular season begin this weekend with a trip to North Dakota. The Badgers have put to- gether a 7-2-1 run over their last 10 games and look to carry that momentum into their final 10 league games. Victories over
the last
10 games include contests against Atlantic Hockey members Mercyhurst and RIT, as well as Minnesota State and Alaska Anchorage — the teams in 11th and 12th place in the WCHA stand- ings — and most of those games were played at the
52 » VARSITY JANUARY 26, 2012
Kohl Center. Six of UW's next 10 games are on the road, including series against three of the six teams currently holding down home-ice spots for the first round of the playoffs. The Badgers have climbed one spot to ninth in the league standings over the past two weeks, but more importantly have drawn to within two points of sixth- place North Dakota for the final home-ice position.
Rumpel stepping up » With his first two career shutouts coming on the last two Fridays, goalie
SCHEDULE (12-10-2, 7-9-2)
Last Five Jan. 7 Jan. 13 Jan. 14
This Week Friday
Next Five Feb. 3 Feb. 4
RIT
at Minnesota State W, 4-0 at Minnesota State
W, 2-1 L, 3-0
Jan. 20 Alaska Anchorage W, 4-0. Jan. 21 Alaska Anchorage W, 3-2
Saturday at North Dakota
St. Cloud State St. Cloud State
Feb. 17 Denver Feb. 18 Denver Feb. 24
at North Dakota 7:30 p.m. 7 p.m.
7 p.m. 8 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m.
at Bemidji State 7:30 p.m.
Joel Rumpel became just the sec- ond UW freshman to post two shutouts in a season, joining Terry Kleisinger, who did it during the 1980–81 season. No Badgers goal- ie has three shutouts as a frosh. Rumpel is 4-1-0 with a 1.01 goals- against average and .964 save per- centage in 2012.
