INSIDE MEN'S HOCKEY BY PAUL CAPOBIANCO @BadgerMHockey
UW gains momentum
season to its resume and equaled its longest winning streak of the season. Now, the team's confidence and momentum continue to rise as the season winds down. The Badgers take that gain
W
in confidence to Mariucci Arena for a series against first-place Minnesota on Fri- day and Saturday. UW can play spoiler as the Gophers look to lock up the MacNaughton Cup as WCHA regular-season champion, but more importantly, the Badgers look to continue their solid play heading into
48 » VARSITY MARCH 1, 2012
isconsin added a first road
sweep of the the postseason. "We have to continue to
play well and keep rolling in order for us to have a chance to play as long as we can, get through the playoffs, get to the Final Five, and then see what happens," said head coach Mike Eaves. "There's a sense in the locker room from the inside out, an in- trinsic sense, of how we need to play, after playing Denver well Friday but losing and then winning Saturday and then winning this past week- end in a tough environment in a rink that hasn't given up very many wins for the op- ponent."
SCHEDULE (15-15-2, 10-14-2)
heading into stretch run Road sweep, win streak help confidence
Last Five Feb. 4
St. Cloud State
Feb. 17 #10 Denver Feb. 18 #10 Denver Feb. 24 Feb. 25
This Week Friday
L, 2-1 L, 3-0 W, 5-2
at Bemidji State W, 4-2 at Bemidji State W, 4-2
at #4 Minnesota Saturday at #4 Minnesota
Up Next March 9 WCHA Playoffs March 10 WCHA Playoffs March 11 WCHA Playoffs March 15 WCHA Final Five March 16 WCHA Final Five
7 p.m. 7 p.m.
TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD
Finishing possibilities » The Badgers climbed from tied for 11th up to ninth with last weekend's sweep of Bemidji State. The Badgers can climb as high as a tie for seventh in the league standings or finish as low as a tie for 11th depending on results this weekend. UW will travel for the first round of the WCHA playoffs.