Conference play is upon us as the No. 2 Wisconsin Badgers begin Big Ten play with a visit from the Notre Dame Fighting Irish this weekend. This two-game series features a couple of teams heading in opposite directions early on, which bodes well for Wisconsin getting out to a nice start in league play.
The undefeated Badgers (4-0) will enter the weekend well rested. Their last official game came three weeks ago, a 4-1 win over Minnesota State back on October 10. Wisconsin beat Western Michigan in an exhibition
game last Saturday, allowing them to shake off any rust, confirm the equipment still works, and climb their way up the rankings.
Notre Dame (2-4) heads to Madison on a four-game losing streak after opening the season with two wins against Niagara. The Irish have since been swept by Western Michigan and Merrimack. The results are not terribly unexpected; Notre Dame finished last in the Big Ten by a decent margin last year and did not make any noticeable upgrades this year.
They return three of their top five scorers from last season in Evan Werner, Danny Nelson, and Paul Fischer. The departures of Sutter Muzzatti and Cole Knuble, the latter of whom is currently suiting up for the Philadelphia Flyers, leave some sizable gaps on the Notre Dame roster. Gaps that are not easily filled on a team already projected to struggle in a tough conference.
Wisconsin has enjoyed plenty of success against the Fighting Irish lately, winning all four games last season and 10 of the last 12 overall. Despite Notre Dame’s season-long struggles, each outing against the Badgers last year resulted in a high-scoring affair. Wisconsin trailed early in South Bend before scoring seven goals in the final two periods of game one, then buried the Irish with a nine-goal output in the second game. The Badgers then needed to score six and five goals to eke out a couple of one-goal wins when the two teams met in Madison.
Although the season is young, these teams do share a common opponent. Notre Dame was outscored 10-1 in a two-game set against Western Michigan on October 16-17. The Badgers may not have gotten Western Michigan’s best shot in last week’s exhibition, especially with the Broncos reeling from a loss to Michigan the night before, but the 4-0 win is a pretty solid indication of how far apart Wisconsin and Notre Dame currently are on the totem pole.
It is Halloween weekend, but Wisconsin would be keen to avoid any tricks or hijinks Notre Dame brings onto the ice. The Badgers should be able to roll by relying on the strength of their blue line. Notre Dame will be hard-pressed to replicate the offensive success they enjoyed against the Badgers last year. Wisconsin’s defensemen are just too solid to allow a below-average team to light the lamp like the Irish did last time they came to Madison.
While the defense does not concern me, Notre Dame is capable of hanging around if Wisconsin’s offense has trouble getting off the blocks. It hasn’t been much of an issue this year, but Wisconsin has endured some notoriously slow starts in the Mike Hastings era that sit in the back of your mind against overmatched teams.
The Badgers want to get a jump in conference play, and that’s why I think we’ll see the first line get their mojo back with Gavin Morrissey and J.J. Wiebusch making some noise in this series. The second line is already pulling their weight, and there’s no better time for Wisconsin to turn in a more complete performance with six Big Ten points on the line.
Friday’s Big Ten opener is scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m. with plenty of pregame theatrics for Bucky’s Pucktoberfest. Game two on Saturday will begin at 5:00 p.m. Both games will be available on B1G+ and on 1310 WIBA locally.
Game Info
Game 1
Date: Friday, October 30
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Place: Madison, Wis. | Kohl Center
TV: B1G+ | Radio: 1310 WIBA
Game 2
Date: Saturday, October 31
Time: 5:00 p.m.
Place: Madison, Wis. | Kohl Center
TV: B1G+ | Radio: 1310 WIBA
