INSIDE WOMEN'S HOCKEY
BY ROSS LA DUE
@BadgerWHockey
SCHEDULE (14-6-2, 10-6-2)
Last Week
Jan. 11
#9 Ohio State
Jan. 12
#9 Ohio State
This Week
Friday
at North Dakota
Saturday at North Dakota
Key stretch of games greets UW in new year
I
t's an unfamiliar feeling
the Badgers have experienced recently. After two
straight seasons of cruising
along atop the WCHA standings, Wisconsin begins the
second half of the regular
season with room for advancement.
Fortunately, last weekend's sweep of No. 9 Ohio
66 ยป VARSITY
JANUA RY 17, 2013
State was the best way the
Badgers could have started
the new year. The six-point
weekend propelled UW into
second place, giving it a fivepoint lead over third-place
OSU.
However, only 10 points
separate Wisconsin from
fifth place, a difference of
less than 3 1/2 games. And
7 p.m.
7 p.m.
Next Five
Jan. 25
Jan. 27
Feb. 8
Feb. 9
Feb. 16
Badgers begin second
half of regular season
W, 4-1
W, 2-1
2 p.m.
2 p.m.
2 p.m.
2 p.m.
7 p.m.
#1 Minnesota
#1 Minnesota
at St. Cloud State
at St. Cloud State
Minn. Duluth
with only 10 games remaining in the
regular season, each game starts to
become more important.
Keeping all that in mind, the next
two weekends become even more
important.
The Badgers travel to North Dakota this weekend. UND currently sits
in fifth place and is looking to avoid
traveling for the first round of WCHA
playoffs. The following weekend,
Wisconsin hosts undefeated Minnesota.
The six losses UW endured in the
first half of the season give the Badgers a smaller margin for error.
While the Badgers aren't normally
accustomed to starting off the new
year in any place other than first, the
team that started the season slowly
in September is gone.
In its place is a squad with a more
balanced offense and finely-tuned
defense. A lot of learning took place
during those first 20 games, and now
the Badgers are poised to challenge
the top of the conference in the second half of the season.
