Badger Hockey Friday

Yeah, so the men are playing basketball tomorrow, too.

Update: no NCAA tourney for the men after losing the WCHA semi to Denver. Tough to miss the tourney. Time to pull for the ladies.

Lest you forget, the Badger men's hockey team is playing in the WHCA semi-final vs. Denver. Defenseman Jamie McBain just won the WCHA player of the year award and was named as a top 10 finalist for the NCAA's Hobey Baker (MVP) award. Had the men been a touch more consistent this season, they wouldn't be fighting for their NCAA tourney lives, but they weren't, so they are. A win over Denver won't guarantee anything, but it's a necessary step to keep their NCAA hopes alive. They will need Connelly's best in net and will need to avoid the scoring droughts that haunted them at critical times throughout the regular season.

The women are legit national title contenders, and play in the NCAA semi-final against Minnesota-Duluth. The Badger women have a slight edge in the season series, at 2-1-2, but as that tells you, these teams are evenly matched. They basically need the same thing the men do, solid goaltending and goals (funny, but that's a common theme for how to win hockey games: score more than the other guys), but unlike the men, they consistently get both. In net, Jessie Vetter is one of three finalists for the Patty Kazmaier (MVP) award, and the Badgers had three skaters in the running, too (with two forwards making the final 10).