Hockey

Charlie Healy

Wisconsin hockey -- both the men and the women -- have comfortable homes at the top of this week's Power Rankings.

The sixth edition of the Big Ten Hockey Power Rankings sees no change in order from last week. Every conference team except the Minnesota and Ohio State men split their weekend series. The three women’s teams begin the WCHA Tournament this weekend while the three CCHA men’s teams play their final regular season series. The Wisconsin and Minnesota men have two weekends remaining before the WCHA playoffs begin.

Disagree with my assessment of your favorite team? Post your own rankings in the comment section and explain where I went wrong.

1 (1) – Wisconsin Men (19-8-4)

#3 Wisconsin split their two-game series with #4 St. Cloud State in the final regular-season home series of the year. The Badgers look to have a better weekend as they travel to Michigan Tech this weekend in the second to last series of the season.

2 (2) – Minnesota Women (22-7-5)

Minnesota avoided a third straight sweep with a come-from-behind win over Wisconsin Saturday night after falling in overtime Friday. The #3 Golden Gophers finish the season with 43 points, sharing the WCHA title with Minnesota Duluth. Minnesota hosts Minnesota State this weekend in the first round of the WCHA playoffs.

3 (3) – Wisconsin Women (18-13-3)

Wisconsin narrowly pulled off a sweep of WCHA Co-Champion Minnesota. The #9 Badgers won in overtime on Friday before falling late Saturday. Wisconsin hosts Ohio State in the first round of the WCHA Tournament in their final push to make the NCAA Tournament.

4 (4) – Michigan State Men (18-11-5)

Michigan State split a home-and-home series with Ferris State, both teams winning at home. The #10 Spartans have a home-and-home with Bowling Green this weekend in the final series of the year before the CCHA tournament begins, lasting three weekends.

5 (5) – Michigan Men (18-16-1)

The Wolverines split their series with Northern Michigan at home last weekend. Michigan, ranked #25 nationally and virtually out of the NCAA Tournament race has a home-and-home with Notre Dame this weekend before beginning the CCHA Tournament.

6 (6) – Ohio State Women (15-14-5)

The Lady Buckeyes lost and won in a shootout against St Cloud State in the final regular season series of the year. Ohio State, ranked #18 in the country travels to Wisconsin for the first round of the WCHA Women’s Tournament.

7 (7) – Minnesota Men (15-15-2)

The Minnesota Men swept Colorado College last weekend at home. The #24 Golden Gophers are on the outside of the NCAA Tournament picture as they travel to Minnesota-Duluth this weekend. A WCHA Tournament title is virtually the only chance Minnesota has of gaining entry into the field of 16.

8 (8) – Ohio State Men (12-15-5)

The Buckeyes swept Western Michigan with a win and shootout win. Ohio State has a home-and-home with #1 Miami this weekend before beginning the CCHA Tournament. Ohio State is the only Big Ten team with a losing record and not ranked nationally.

Charlie Healy

Hockey

Camp Randall will play host to both the Wisconsin Men's and Women's Ice Hockey teams on Saturday

This Saturday another chapter is written in the historic books of Camp Randall Stadium and Wisconsin Hockey. The Big Ten’s oldest football stadium will host two outdoor hockey games featuring the Men and Women Badger Hockey teams.

The puck drops at 2:00 pm as the Wisconsin Women face off against WCHA rival Bemidji State. This will be the second women’s NCAA hockey game played outdoors after Northeastern and New Hampshire skated at Fenway Park in January.

At 5:00 the Wisconsin Men battle under the lights against Big Ten rival Michigan. This will be the second outdoor game for both teams. Michigan played at Michigan State in 2001 in the “Cold War” and Wisconsin hosted Ohio State in the “Frozen Tundra Hockey Classic” at Lambeau Field in 2006.

While hockey outdoors is a concept that dates back to the first days of hockey, playing regulation game outside in an outdoor venue is a new concept. The first outdoor game was held in 1991 in Las Vegas between the Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers. Michigan State hosted the next game ten years later. In 2003 the Edmonton Oilers hosted the Montreal Canadians followed by Wisconsin in 2006.

Blackhawks vs. Wings, Wrigley Field

In 2008 the National Hockey League started a tradition by hosting the “Winter Classic” on New Year’s Day outdoors. The first contest saw the Buffalo Sabres hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins. In 2009 the Chicago Blackhawks faced their Original Six Rival the Detroit Red Wings at historic Wrigley Field. The famous baseball stadium proved to be a perfect site for hockey as the NHL went to Fenway Park on January 1 2010 when the Boston Bruins hosted the Philadelphia Flyers. The Fenway ice was also used for two college games, the latter featuring Boston U. and Boston College.

While the sightlines might not be great, and it may be cold, the opportunity to see outdoor hockey is something that shouldn’t be missed. There is a special vibe in the air as the players and fans know they are witnessing something special. It is not just another series against a conference rival. It isn’t even at the level of an NCAA tournament game. Even as outdoor hockey is increasing in popularity among NHL and college teams, the event is still something that has a “once in a lifetime” feel. There have been countless football games held at Camp Randall. The ice gets one chance to steal the spotlight, it would be a shame if someone missed it.

Charlie Healy

Hockey

The OSU women's hockey team was the only team to move up the rankings (from 7 to 6) this week.

The second edition of the Big Ten Power Rankings presents very little change from last week. Every team except the Minnesota Men recorded a victory, and the Minnesota Women and Wisconsin Men escaped the weekend without a loss.

Disagree with my assessment of your favorite team? Post your own rankings in the comment section and explain where I went wrong.

1 (Prev: 1) – Minnesota Women (19-3-4)

The Golden Gopher women swept North Dakota at home yet is no longer #1 in the nation after being overtaken by Mercyhurst.

2 (2) – Wisconsin Men (14-6-4)

The #3 Badger Men proved they can skate with any team in the country, taking three of four points at home against #1 Denver with a tie and a win. Mike Eave’s squad faces another tough test this weekend at Minnesota-Duluth.

3 (3) – Wisconsin Women (14-9-3)

The Wisconsin women fell to #9 nationally after splitting their series with St Cloud State. To make the NCAA Tournament the Badgers need to find a way to get back in the top eight.

4 (4) – Michigan State Men (16-8-4)

#13 Michigan State split their series with Ohio State at home. They face CCHA and Big Ten rival Michigan next weekend.

5 (5) – Michigan Men (14-11-1)

The #17 Wolverines split their weekend series and are making a push to make it into the NCAA Tournament field.

6 (7) – Ohio State Women (12-10-4)

The 12^th ranked Buckeye women split their series with Bemidji State, earning a trip up in the Big Ten Power Rankings, jumping the Minnesota Men.

7 (6) – Minnesota Men (12-12-2)

It was a disappointing weekend for the Minnesota Men as they were swept by St. Cloud State. They were the only Big Ten team not to record a win on the weekend.

8 (8) – Ohio State Men (10-13-1)

One of the few bright spots this year for Ohio State occurred last weekend when they split their series with rival Michigan State.

Click Here To Read Last Week’s Rankings

QB Scott Tolzien was a pleasant surprise for the Badgers in 2009

Charlie Healy

Football

After a lackluster 7-6 2008 season, the Wisconsin Football team was looking to turn things around in 2009. Head Coach Bret Bielema later said one of the season goals was to “re-establish Wisconsin Football”. In August, most fans would have been very happy with a 9-3 season and a win over a ranked opponent in a bowl game. However, it’s those three losses and the location of the bowl game that has Badger fans and players desiring more.

A second-half collapse against Ohio State and Iowa along with a heart-breaking loss at Northwestern sent Wisconsin to Orlando for the fourth time in five seasons. Those are the negatives.

A 4-0 record in non-conference play, winning the axe for the sixth straight year against Minnesota in the first Big Ten game in their new outdoor stadium, upsetting #14 Miami in the Champs Sports Bowl, winning ten games for just the sixth time in school history. These are just a few of the positives.

The emergence of junior quarterback Scott Tolzien and sophomore running back John Clay as offensive weapons made many people take notice of a powerful Wisconsin offense that struggled the year before. Clay went on to earn the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year award after leading the Big Ten in rushing with 111.3 yards per game.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Wisconsin defense proved its dominance by holding ten teams, including all eight Big Ten opponents to less than 100 yards rushing. Linebacker Chris Borland was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year while leading the team with 46 tackles.

While the three losses hurt, the season was undoubtedly a success. The Badgers final tally on the 2009 season is a record of 10-3 and ranked #16 nationally. In a season that began with so many questions, the only question being asked today is what can this team do for an encore in 2010?

Charlie Healy

Football

Chris Maragos and a host of 21 other Seniors went out in style against Michigan in their last game in front of the Camp Randall faithful.

On Saturday 22 members of the Wisconsin Football team performed at Camp Randall Stadium for the final time as students. Those seniors went out in style, beating Michigan 45-24. In honor of the 18 players, 3 student managers, and 1 student assistant, here are 22 bits from the win, one for each senior. (Please note, the facts do not relate to the player or their performance on the field)

-Tyler Guetschow (student manager): Quarterback Scott Tolzien passed for four touchdowns and ran for one touchdown.

-Thomas Cassini (student manager): Sophomore running back John Clay rushed for 151 yards and a touchdown, passing the 1,000-yard mark on the season.

-Ben Swanson (student manager): Freshman running back Montee Ball added 62 rushing yards helping the Wisconsin offense accumulate 229 rushing yards.

-Terrance Jamison (student assistant): Tolzien was 16-24 passing on the day for 240 yards.

-Dan Cascone: Wide receiver Nick Toon caught five passes for 98 yards, two for touchdowns.

-Nate Emanuel: Freshman Chris Borland led the team with 11 tackles, setting a career high.

-Garrett Graham: Head Coach Bret Bielema is 26-0 when the offense scores 30 or more points and Wisconsin has won 30 straight contests when scoring 30 or more points.

-Will Hartmann: Garrett Graham had a touchdown reception for 22 yards for Wisconsin’s first score.

-Jordan Hein: Wisconsin was in the red zone six times on Saturday and converted on all attempts scoring five touchdowns and a field goal.

-Tyler Holland: Wisconsin and Michigan first met in 1892 yet the 45 points scored is the most the Badgers have ever scored in 73 meetings with the Wolverines.

-Richard Kirtley: The Wisconsin defense held Michigan to just 71 rushing yards. Coming into the game the Wolverines averaged over 200 rushing yards per game.

-Chris Maragos: Lance Kendricks caught one pass from Tolzien, for a touchdown in the 3^rd quarter.

-Jaevery McFadden: Graham had 5 catches for 62 yards, the longest for 23 yards.

-Prince Moody: Isaac Anderson caught 4 passes for 65 yards, the longest for 27 yards.

-Dan Moore: Wisconsin punted just once. Brad Nortman kicked it 34 yards in the first quarter. Nortman punted again in the second quarter but a personal foul against Michigan kept the Wisconsin drive alive resulting in the second Badger touchdown.

-Erik Prather: Wisconsin finished with 469 yards of total offense

-O’Brien Schofield: Wisconsin fumbled twice, losing one. Michigan fumbled once but retained possession.

-Dustin Sherer: Michigan and Wisconsin each threw one interception

-Jeff Stehle: Wisconsin won the time of possession 34:49 – 24:11 thanks to keeping the ball for 10 and 12 minutes in the third and fourth quarter respectively.

-T.J. Theus: Wisconsin was 6-11 on third down and 1-1 on fourth down. Michigan was 6-15 and 1-3.

-Mickey Turner: Philip Welch kicked a 28 yard field goal and was 6-6 on PATs.

-Drew Woodward: A 19-yard field goal attempt by Michigan was blocked by JJ Watt in the first period.

Charlie Healy

Football

Ready or not, the conference season is here. After 3 wins against non-BCS opponents, the Badgers are set to open the Big Ten season against Michigan State on Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium. The Badgers are 3-0 while the Spartans are 1-2 in non-conference play.

After opening the season with a win over Montana State, Michigan State lost two close games to Central Michigan and Notre Dame. One different play in each of those defeats could have turned their record to 3-0. Instead, the Spartans come into Madison looking to turn things around. They may be 1-2 overall, but like everyone else, they are 0-0 in conference play. They know a win on Saturday puts them at the top half of the conference standings despite the poor non-conference performance.

Wisconsin opened the season with two hard fought, close victories over Northern Illinois and Fresno State before soundly defeating FCS opponent Wofford 44-14 last week. Junior quarterback Scott Tolzien has emerged as the offensive leader and ranks second in the Big Ten in completion percentage with 69.1% and pass efficiency at 161.8. The running game will be lead by Zach Brown, who started the first two games of the season. After starting against Wofford, John Clay is being moved back 2^nd string after fumbling on three of his twelve carries.

What can fans expect? Aside from heavy rains in the forecast, fans should expect a hard fought game from each side. Despite the difference in records, Wisconsin and Michigan State are very evenly matched. The Spartans were picked to finish 3^rd in the conference, so they will come out with something to prove. The Badgers meanwhile will be looking to start the season 4-0 and prevent Michigan State from solving their problems until next weekend. This will be a close game, which very well could be decided on a late 4^th quarter drive.