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What: NCAA Tournament East Regional semifinal: No. 3
Wisconsin (14-7-7 WCHA, 21-12-8 overall) vs. No. 2 Ohio State (16-12-0 CCHA,
26-15-0)
When: Friday, March 26
Site: Pepsi Arena, Albany, N.Y.
Broadcasts: live television coverage on UPN-14 in
Madison, live radio coverage 1310 WIBA (AM)
Series notes: Wisconsin leads 8-0-0, the two teams
last met in 1969
Who is Ohio State and where did they come from? Sure, the
Buckeyes are perennial powerhouses in college football, but they have a hockey
team too? Obviously the Badgers knew that Ohio State has a hockey team, and a
good one at that, but when the pairing was announced on Sunday, they did not
know too much more about their future opponent.
By Tuesday they had a chance to look at some video, but
were still trying to learn more.
“We watched a little bit of game tape but we don’t really
know much about them,” senior forward Rene Bourque said. “I think they’re kind
of a similar team as us. They’re a hard-working team.”
Wisconsin used a school-record-setting unbeaten streak
through the middle part of the season to gain national attention, but then
stumbled to the finish line in the last few weeks, culminating with a loss to
Alaska-Anchorage in the opening series of the Western Collegiate Hockey
Association playoffs.
“We’ve had a couple weeks off, but hopefully we have that
puck magic, that offensive flair back,” head coach Mike Eaves said.
Ohio State finished the regular season with a 21-15-0
record overall and 16-12-0 in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, good
enough for a fourth place finish. But probably the best part of their season
came in the past two weeks.
The Buckeyes took out Bowling Green to advance to the
CCHA’s Super Six, the league’s equivalent to the WCHA’s Final Five. From there
they took out Notre Dame, Miami, and Michigan in order. All three of those teams
are joining Ohio State in the NCAA tournament, and the victories gave the
Buckeyes the Super Six Championship and an automatic bid into the tournament.
“They’ve got balanced scoring and big defense and they work
very hard,” Eaves said.
One of the biggest questions for the Badgers will be
experience. Only Dan Boeser and Bourque have previous NCAA tournament
experience; however, many of the players have other postseason or tournament
experience.
Ohio State, on the other hand, made its most recent
tournament appearance just last year. While this is just their fourth appearance
overall, the Buckeye roster boasts 17 players with NCAA tournament experience.
The Buckeyes have five players who compiled 30 points or
more. Senior forward Paul Caponigri led the way with 39, the only player to
average more than one point per game. He and fellow senior Dave Steckel each had
17 goals to lead the team and defenseman Doug Andress tallied 27 helpers.
Bourque is the only Badger with more than 30 points with 15
goals and 20 assists.
Not only do the Buckeyes have tournament experience, but
they have a veteran roster. Their top four scorers are all seniors, whereas two
of the top four scorers for Wisconsin are freshman, and a third, Ryan MacMurchy,
is a sophomore.
MacMurchy, not often considered one of the superstars on
the Badger roster, may have more of an effect on the Badgers’ success than many
people realize. Wisconsin is 10-0-2 this season when “Mac” scores a goal.
“I don’t know if it’s a coincidence or what it is, but
hopefully I get (a goal) this weekend,” MacMurchy said.
One area that the Badgers have a distinct advantage is
goaltending. Junior Bernd Bruckler earned first-team All-WCHA honors for his
consistent play between the pipes for the Badgers this season. He gives his team
a chance to win night in and night out and could prove to be a difference-maker
in this contest.
The Buckeyes have been splitting time between senior Mike
Betz and sophomore Dave Caruso. Betz has played in more games the Caruso, but
Caruso had the hot hand last weekend at the Super Six. Either way, with the
hot-and-cold spurts, it will be up to head coach John Markell to make the right
decision and get the hot glove in at the right time this weekend.
Whether or not the Badgers advance to the next round will
depend on which team is allowed to dictate the style of play. Perhaps not
knowing a great deal about their opponent will play into the Badgers hands,
allowing them to play their game, something that has proved successful this
season.
“We just have to bring our A-game and play the way we
play,” MacMurchy said. “We’ve beaten some good teams this year and that’s just
what we’ve got to do.”