Sometimes when things aren't going your way you can either keep banging your head against the wall and hope it breaks through or you can try something else. Call me crazy but if I had any say, I'd give Brett Bennett the start tonight.Now I know what your thinking. Panic move. Not at all. I, along with everyone else in the country knows that Gudmandson is our starter and he's going to need to be our starter down the stretch.
But Scotty has had 3 games in a row where he just doesn't seem to have "it." I'm not quite sure if it's fatigue or what it is. Gudmandson has started 15 out of the past 17 games for Wisconsin.
Giving Gudmandson a night off and throwing B-twice between the pipes in a big rivalry game might energize the team and could provide the spark that the Badgers need in a crucial game for league standings and for Wisconsin's NCAA tournament chances.
Don't forget that Bennett is good. He's taken unwarranted heat from Wisconsin fans who have very short memories and don't understand that playing the puck out of the goal crease is actually a good thing. Remember back on Saturday night at Mariucci earlier this season Bennett was in the net and his puck handling skills directly lead to a goal which helped the Badgers earn a hard fought road tie.
Like I said, we know that Gudmanson is the guy, and we're going to need him down the stretch but it makes a lot of sense to me to give Bennett the nod tonight. Remember the last time Gudmanson got pulled from a game he rattled off a streak of 13 straight games allowing 2 goals or less.
Photo of Bennett courtesy of Melody Hasse
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