'Tis the season for the Showdown
December 23, 2008 | Men's Hockey
The Wisconsin men's hockey team (9-7-2, 7-5-2 WCHA) returns to the ice after a two-week break to host Alabama-Huntsville (2-9-1, 1-4-1 CHA), Harvard (4-6-2, 4-3-2 ECAC) and Lake Superior State (4-8-6, 3-6-5 CCHA) in the 20th annual Badger Hockey Showdown at the Kohl Center on Saturday, Dec. 27 and Sunday, Dec. 28.
The Badgers open against Alabama-Huntsville on Saturday at 7 p.m. before taking on either Harvard or Lake Superior State on Sunday at 7 p.m., depending on Saturday's results. Harvard and Lake Superior kick off the tournament at 4 p.m. on Saturday, while Alabama-Huntsville continues play at 4 p.m. on Sunday against one of the previous two teams.
Wisconsin enters the tournament on a five-game winning streak, marking UW's longest streak since the 2005-06 squad finished its season with five wins and then won the first game of the 2006-07 season to increase the streak to six games. UW also currently holds a six-game home winning streak, the longest since the Badgers won their final three home games in 1999-2000 and opened their first four home games in 2000-2001 with wins for a seven-game home winning streak.
In the match-up against Alabama-Huntsville, Wisconsin solidly leads with a 3-0-0 all-time record against the Chargers. All three previous games were played in Madison, although none were during the Badger Hockey Showdown. In the last meeting between the two teams, the Badgers edged out UAH 3-2 on Oct. 29, 2002 in Mike Eaves' fourth game as head coach. The Chargers are making their Showdown debut this weekend.
Against the more familiar Harvard Crimson, Wisconsin owns an 8-1-0 overall record, leading 5-1-0 in Madison. Harvard, making its third appearance in the Showdown, holds a 1-2-1 record in previous tournament play. The last time the two Big Reds faced off was Dec. 27, 1997 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee when UW beat Harvard 6-3 in the first round of the Showdown.
Lake Superior State proves to be more of a challenge for UW historically, as the two teams are tied overall with a 2-2-0 record (1-1-0 in Madison). UW won in the last contest against the Lakers with a 6-4 victory in the 1994 Showdown championship game on Dec. 29 in Milwaukee. LSSU, like Harvard, is making its third trip to the Badger Hockey Showdown, and its second in three seasons. The Lakers have competed in the championship game in both of their previous visits, but lost in both. Prior to meeting in the Showdown, UW and LSSU split a two-game series on Dec. 28 and 30, 1982 in Madison. They also faced off in the 1992 NCAA Championship Game in Albany, where the Lakers beat out the Badgers 5-3.
On another note, the Badgers enter the tournament with a reduced roster. For the seventh consecutive season and the 10th time in 11 years, UW skates in the mid-holiday tournament without a full squad. Sophomore defensemen Ryan McDonagh (Arden Hills, Minn.) and Cody Goloubef (Oakville, Ontario) will miss both games in the Showdown as well as the series against Northern Michigan on Jan. 2-3 at Kohl Center to compete in the 2009 IIHF World Junior Championships. The Badger teammates will skate on opposite ends of the ice for their respective countries (McDonagh for Team USA; Goloubef for Canada) in the prestigious U-20 tournament in Ottawa, Ontario on Dec. 26-Jan. 5.
The Showdown will be televised on FSN WI on Sunday and tape-delayed on WPT at 11 p.m. The tournament will also be featured on the airwaves with Brian Posick and Mike Cerniglia. Tune into WTSO-AM 1070 on Saturday and WIBA-AM 1310 in Madison on Sunday.
UWBadgers.com will provide a video stream on Saturday. Post-game news conferences will also be streamed for both Badger games.
Check the sportid=119"> --> UWBadgers.com Game Day page for links and information.
