This series will be another litmus test for this young Gopher team as the new and improved Big Ten Gophers/BADgers rivalry kicks into high gear tonight. The Gophers roll into Madison riding a nation leading 14 game unbeaten streak, and despite Bucky’s disastrous road record of 1-6-1, they’ve been surprisingly tough at home since being swept by the Gophers at Mariucci in Nov. (9-2 in last 11 games). However, with two key offensive players (Kerdiles and Barnes) out with “smashing into the boards” injuries, the BADgers have only tickled the twine 4 times in their last 3 games. Eaves seems to think Nic Kerdiles, who has been out of action for about a month, will be ready to go for this series but will undoubtedly need to shake off some rust to get back on pace. According to Eaves, Tyler Barnes the BADgers second leading scorer who is 6-4-10 in the last 9 games, is unlikely to see any action. If the Gophers can successfully shutdown Mersch, the Badgers leading scorer, Bucky may continue their scoring woes, especially against the consistent and stellar play of Hobey Baker candidate Adam Wilcox (GA/1.96).
I expect this to be a physical, close checking series with a nice parade to the box. Noteworthy is the BADgers have taken 18 penalties over the last three games. The Gophers were only 1/11 on the PP when these teams clashed in November. But the Gopher PP has improved in dramatic fashion lately scoring 7 PPGs in the last 5 games and will undoubtedly play a critical role in both contests. Wisconsin is not a “come from behind team” (3-6-0 when trailing after 2), and the Gophers have been very successful when establishing the early lead as they are unbeaten when leading after 2 periods with an outstanding record of 11-0-1. IMO the Gophers will need to get pucks down low and behind the Wis. D while planting the big frames of Seth Ambroz and Hudson Fasching for clean up in front of Rumpel, who has been somewhat sieve-like lately giving up 11 goals in his last 4 games.
The Gophers hold a significant edge over Bucky in transition speed and scoring depth. If the Gopher D can match the physicality of the BADgers and apply consistent offensive pressure by going to the net hard and often, Rumpty Dumpty will disappoint the homers and take a couple nasty tumbles at the Kohl. Go Gophers! RAH!