Wisconsin Opens Up WCHA Playoffs With 3-1 Win

Nice solid effort from everyone on the roster Friday night. Need to be more disciplined but overall a very nice performance.

WSJ (Baggot)-Faust's first career goal jump-starts Badgers
Colorado Springs Gazette (Paisley)-Wisconsin drops CC in playoff opener
Eye of the Tigers (Paisley blog)-Emptying the notebook
UWBadgers.com-Unlikely hero's spring Badgers to 3-1 win to open WCHA playoffs
UWBadgers.com-Game day blog
UWBadgers.com-Final Stats
CCTigers.com-Wisconsin draws first blood
USCHO.com-Box Score

BOX SCORE

Second Period
Colorado College-1 Nick Dineen (Gabe Guentzel, Stephen Schultz) PPG 5:53
Wisconsin-1 Joe Faust (Michael Mersch, Sean Dolan) 12:11

Third Period
Wisconsin-2 Ryan Little (Keegan Meuer, Jefferson Dahl) GWG 4:12
Wisconsin-3 Jefferson Dahl (Jordy Murray) ENG 19:49

Goaltender Saves
Wisconsin-1 Scott Gudmandson (60:00 W) 8 9 10 = 27 (1 GA)
Colorado College-1 Joe Howe (58:26 L) 6 6 7 = 19 (2 GA)

Scores from around the WCHA

Bemidji State 4, Nebraska-Omaha 2
Alaska-Anchorage 4, Minnesota 3
North Dakota 8, Michigan Tech 0
Minnesota Duluth 4, St. Cloud State 2
Denver 4, Minnesota State 2

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Out For Tiger Blood: CC Playoff Week

At the end of the day, day my momma told me don't let no one break me, let no one break me
At end of the day, day, nobody, nobody, ever could stop me, ever could stop me
At the end of the day, day you can't regret it if you were trying, if you were trying
At the end of the day, day I'm walking with a heart of a lion

KiD CuDi-"Heart of a Lion"

The current version of the Wisconsin men's hockey team has been playing with a playoff mentality for the past few weeks. This weekend, it's real. The Badgers open up the first round of the WCHA playoffs on the road in Colorado Springs where they are looking to draw tiger blood from Colorado College.

Last weekend the Tigers were in Madison where they were able to steal a victory on Friday night from the Badgers. The Badgers bounced back on Saturday and were able to salvage a split in the final regular season series of the season. Wisconsin played arguably their best 120 minutes of hockey since mid-January and it should go a long way towards building momentum for the upcoming series.

The Badgers were able to get consistent goaltending from both Brett Bennett and Scott Gudmandson over the weekend and as I've been preaching all-season, this team is only going to go as far as those two will take them. In Eaves press conference this week he indicated that they have yet to make a decision on who is going to be playing between the pipes this weekend for the Badgers. It wouldn't shock me to see both Bennett and Gudmandson this weekend.

Patrick Johnson is playing the best hockey of his four year career in Madison and has five goals in his past five games. The senior forward from Madison has been ignited since joining a line with fellow senior Podge Turnbull and freshman right winger Tyler Barnes. That unit has been undoubtedly Wisconsin's most successful trio the past few weeks.

Sophomore defenseman Justin Schultz continues to find the back of the bet for the Badgers. His goal on Saturday night was his 18th of the season, leaving him only one goal behind Sean Hill for the Wisconsin record for goals scored by a defenseman. Schultz's 46 points this season have him tied for 9th in the country in scoring and six behind Brendan Smith's 52 points from last season.

It was apparent the talent that Colorado College brings to the table with their top end players. The Tigers top line of the Schwartz brothers and Steven Szhultz were consistent threats every time they were on the ice. Containing those three could go a long ways towards a successful weekend for the Badgers.

One player that was especially quiet for CC over the weekend was the teams leading scorer Tyler Johnson. One of the reasons he was so quiet was because he didn't play on Saturday night. It's presumed that Johnson, who is nursing an injury sat out as a precaution with CC's WCHA finish already finalized by virtue of their Friday night victory.

The Tigers have been rotating goalies for the past few weeks but to anyone who watched the series it was clear who the Tigers go to man will be when their season on the line. While Sophomore Joe Howe looked confident challenging the shooters, freshman Josh Thorimbert seemed to be fighting the puck and shaky on multiple occasions on Saturday night.

One of the biggest keys for the Badgers this weekend will be getting pucks to the net no matter who is between the pipes. Wisconsin has struggled the second of the season getting shots through traffic to the goal. Neither one of CC's goaltenders are all-world so if Wisconsin can get the puck to the net with players crashing for rebounds it could be a very successful weekend.

COVERAGE

There is no television this weekend but both games are available for purchase via webcast on B2Live. They usually charge around $7 per game.

POLLS

The only poll that matters right now, the PWR has the Badgers at 23. Going 2-0 this weekend will put the Badgers back on the bubble for an at large bid.

INJURIES

It looks like Joe Faust is in again this week for Eric Springer who has a separated shoulder. No word on if Springer is making the trip or not.

PREDICTIONS

Both teams are in desperation mode and the team that doesn't make it to St. Paul can effectively bust out their golf clubs because their season is over. It's going to be a phenomenal weekend of hockey between two good hockey clubs. It may be the homer in me but I think Saturday night's performance was just what the doctor ordered to get the ball rolling for the Badgers.

Friday Night: Wisconsin 4, Colorado College 1
Saturday Night: Wisconsin 3, Colorado College 2

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Senior Night Lines vs Colorado College

WISCONSIN

Murray-Smith-Zengerle
Patrick Johnson-Podge Turnbull-Barnes
Mersch-Sean Dolan-Lee
R. Little-Dahl-Meuer

Gardiner-Schultz
Craig Johnson-Ramage
Faust-Simonelli

Scott Gudmandson

COLORADO COLLEGE

Hall-Dineen-Hamburg
Eveland-Skalbeck-Winkler
J.Schwartz-R.Schwartz-Schultz
Krushelnyski-Civitarese-Rapuzzi

Lowery-McDermott
Guentzel-Marciano
Boivin-Bidwill

Thorimbert

Colorado College Week

To appreciate the sun you gotta know what rain is
or cause I’m famous you don’t think I know what pain is
but I bounce back, would ya look at that
I take my spot at the top and I aint looking back

I’m coming home
I’m coming home
Tell the World I’m coming home
Let the rain wash away, all the pain of yesterday
I know my kingdom awaits, and they’ve forgiven my mistakes
I’m coming home, I’m coming home
Tell the World that I’m coming...

J.Cole ft. Skylar Grey-"I'm Coming Home"

In a season filled with the ups and downs of a theme park roller-coaster the Badgers are coming home to their kingdom at the Kohl Center looking to bounce back after being swept by St. Cloud State at the lowest part of the ride. The good news is that better days are ahead and it starts on Friday night versus the Tigers of Colorado College.

It's not worth it to rehash what went on in St. Cloud last weekend so let's immediately look ahead to the task at hand. If Wisconsin wants to go anywhere this season they are going to need their goaltenders to step up and play like seniors. Eaves has already announced that he will be starting Brett Bennett on Friday night and Scott Gudmandson on Saturday. I can't emphasize enough how important these two are right now. The Badgers are only as strong as these two, how far can they take this team?

Offensively for the first time in a while Eaves tried some different line combination's and some things worked and some didn't. Derek Lee saw extended playing time on scoring lines and he's one of the players that I had hoped would see an expanded role down the stretch. For a team struggling to put goals in the net 5 on 5 Lee is a player who sees the ice better than most and is finally playing with the confidence to succeed in the WCHA.

I would be remiss if I didn't bring up the role of the seniors this weekend as it could quite possibly be the last weekend of hockey they play at the Kohl Center wearing the cardinal and white. Besides the aforementioned Gudmandson and Bennett, forwards Patrick Johnson, Sean Dolan, Podge Turnbull and defenseman Craig Johnson will be honored this weekend. Those 6 have been vital members of this program for the past 4 years and I can guarantee that they will be leaving everything that they have out on the ice this weekend.

Defensively the Badgers have to be better, plain and simple. The defensemen who are regulars in the Wisconsin lineup have the ability to be a special group and there isn't a better time to step up and lock down CC. The offensive points are great and there is no doubt Wisconsin needs them to be successful, but with the skill of CC's forwards it's going to be imperative that the Wisconsin D have their best weekend of the season.

Speaking of those CC forwards, none are better than freshman sensation Jaden Schwartz. The 14th overall pick in the 2010 NHL Draft by the St. Louis Blues has been phenomenal in his rookie campaign in Colorado Springs. The Saskatchewan native is only 5 points behind CC's leading scorer Tyler Johnson despite playing 14 less games than the rest of the team. Schwartz missed some time when he was named to Canada's World Junior team and then broke his ankle playing in the tournament which has caused him to miss the past couple months of action.

CC is obviously not a one man show as Johnson who I already mentioned had found the back of the net a remarkable 20 times this season. He's dangerous in all facets of the game but especially on the PP where he has scored 12 of his 20 goals. Jaden Schwartz's brother Rylan as well as Stephen Schultz are two other big time forwards that will have the attention of the Badger D-core this weekend.

Defensively Gabe Guentzel is a kid that has been really impressive as a puck moving offensive defenseman. Guentzel's 22 points this season have him approaching his career high of 23 last season and he's no doubt going to surpass it before the end of the year. Guentzel has been paired up lately with Joe Marciano to form the Tigers top D-pair.

Between the pipes the Tigers go-to man is Sophomore Joe Howe. Looking at his statistics they look rather poor but I'm not sure it's indicative of the kids talent. I've seen him a handful of times this season play brilliant in goal. The past three weekends the Tigers have split their goalies so expect to see freshman Josh Thorimbert this weekend as well.

I feel like a broken record but the Badgers power play is going to be absolutely critical this weekend. If there was ever a weekend to get this unit back on track the time is now. CC has statistically the worst penalty kill in the WCHA with a 76.3% kill rate. Wisconsin's power play in conference games has dropped to 18.85%.

Needless to say this is far and away the most important hockey series of the year and the Badgers need points. It starts by winning on Friday. Forget about Saturday for now. Focus on getting those two Friday points and we'll worry about Saturday later. Friday night is the most important hockey game of the season for the 2010-11 Wisconsin Badgers. Both teams are fighting not only for home ice but for an NCAA tournament bid as well. Who wants it more?

COVERAGE

Friday night's game will be live on TVW and Charter Extra and the Saturday game will be live on FSN.

POLLS

Polls are irrelevant right now. All that matters is winning games.

INJURIES

Eric Springer has an undisclosed upper body injury. I don't think it's a secret that he separated his shoulder on Friday night. He tweeted today that he is back on the ice tomorrow but I'm not sure if he will be ready for Friday or not. Might be safe to give Joe Faust the spot this weekend and let him run with it. He was one of the brighter spots last Saturday night I thought.

PREDICTIONS

Winning games right now is absolutely critical and I think Wisconsin understands the position they are in. Unfortunately CC is in the exact same spot. I think the Badgers get the better of CC on Friday but CC salvages a tie on Saturday.

Friday: Wisconsin 4, Colorado College 2
Saturday: Wisconsin 4, Colorado College 4

Wisconsin vs Colorado College Live Blog

I made an attempt to live blog a game vs Alaska Anchorage a month or so ago and it went ok. I'm going to give it another go tonight when Wisconsin takes on Colorado College. Tonight's game is not on tv, it's only on web-cast so it's going to be a bit more difficult to live blog the game tonight but I'll give it my best shot. Game time is 7:00 PM from the Kohl Center. Feel free to leave comments and stuff so we know what you guys think. If no one likes this feature I probably won't do it anymore. If there is some demand, it may stay for a bit longer. Just let me know!

To clean up the front page, I have moved the live blog here. Feel free to check it out if you want a re-cap of the game while it was happeneing.

WCHA Previews: Colorado College

School: Colorado College
Mascot: Tigers
Head Coach: Scott Owens, 10th year, 223-121-25

Last Season: 21-6-1, 1st Place WCHA; 28-12-1 Overall

Predicted 08/09 WCHA Finish: 2nd

Key Departures:
D Jack Hillen, 6-31-37*
F Jimmy Kilpatrick, 15-16-31
F Scott McCulloch, 13-8-21
F Scott Thauwald, 5-10-15
*All stats listed from 07/08

Key Returnees:
F Chad Rau (Sr), 28-14-42
F Andreas Vlassopoulos (Jr), 8-23-31
F Bill Sweatt (Jr), 10-17-27
F Mike Testwuide (Jr), 11-10-21
D Nate Prosser (Jr), 3-17-20

Top Sieve (not much of a sieve last season):
Richard Bachman (So), 25-9-1, 1.85 GAA

Key Additions:
F David Civitarese (AJHL) 31-45-76
F Nick Dineen (USHL) 27-29-56
F Tim Hall (USHL) 18-26-44
D Gabe Guentzel (USHL) 5-23-28
D Ted Behrend (WI HS) 18-15-33, played for Oregon HS

When Wisconsin Beats CC: KC 1/16 & 1/17

07/08 Recap: Colorado College was the king of the hill during the WCHA regular season. They were almost unbeatable all season at home, at least until the NCAA Regional. The biggest part of CC’s success was their defense led by WCHA’s top defender Jack Hillen and WCHA’s top goalie Richard Bachman. As a freshman adjusting to the rigors of the WCHA, Bachman was nothing short of outstanding (and I rarely give any respect to opposing goalies), though the Hobey Baker folks had their heads in the sand (imagine that) giving him on respect. On offense, Chad Rau led the way including leading the nation in short handed goals, including the four he tallied against Wisconsin. There was a controversy during the season where two players were suspended for their parts in some sexual misconduct and lying, which also involved an unnamed CC recruit. Despite this, CC held off North Dakota’s late charge for the MacNaughton. CC ran up against a hot minnesota team at the Final Five, and later lost to North Dakota in the 3rd place game. The losing continued the next weekend at home in the NCAA Regional to Notre Dame. In between all that, Wisconsin had no luck against CC last year. The Badgers blew a lead on Friday night at CC, before getting blown away on Saturday night in a game I stupidly paid $6 to watch on B2Live. CC came to the Kohl Center in early January when Geoffrion, McBain and Turris were gone for the WJC. Wisconsin had as much offense that weekend (thank you Sean Dolan) as a normal Mighty Mite game during the 2nd intermission. Another successful regular season ended w/ another disappointing post season for the Tigers.

08/09 Thoughts: I’ve seen a lot of places that have CC repeating as WCHA Champs (well not the letsgodu blog); I think it will be a close contest between the Front Range teams in Colorado. While Richard Bachman dominated last year, will he have a sophomore slump in the Springs? I doubt it, but the defense will have to be strong again to carry CC back to the top. Compared to Denver or North Dakota, CC is not an offensive machine, though not horrible either. Take the series at the Kohl Center last year, they didn’t score many goals that weekend, and really didn’t impress on offense compared to their defense and goaltending. Chad Rau and Bill Sweatt will probably be the top offensive options coming back, though w/ Kyle Klubertanz’s graduation, short handed goals against Wisconsin will be in short supply. They add a solid recruiting class, no top NHL Draft picks on that list, but a good group of young players.

For your Friday morning viewing pleasure...

The most important link of the day. College hockey lost a friend yesterday when Colorado College's equipment manager, Ed Warner, who was only 35 years old, died of a massive stroke a few days after returning from a trip to Italy with the womens soccer team.

Todd Milewski from the Capital Times has an updated list of UW Men's hockey recruits and departures for the next 4 seasons.

Andy Baggot from the Wisconsin State Journal has a great recap from the Red Line Report on it's latest comments about future and current Badgers at the upcoming NHL draft.

Brandon Archibald from the Detroit Honeybaked Midget program who at one point had visited Wisconsin has chosen to sign with the Soo Greyhounds of the OHL. It's really too bad he's a kid I thought we could lock up.

Brad Schlossman from the Grand Forks Herald has an updated list of All WCHA players that have made their intentions known on where they will be playing next season.

June 19th the Big Ten Network is having a "Badger Day," and yet there will be no men's hockey coverage. Just another reason to love the BTN. (I'm trying to be as sarcastic as possible) They will have some coverage of Mark Johnson the women's coach though so It's not all bad.

Photo from the Colorado Springs Gazette