As 2014 comes to an end and the Wisconsin Men’s hockey team shifts its focus to a brand new calendar year, Senior defensemen, Chase Drake, says the team’s New Year’s resolution stays the same as it has always been.
“Our goal is to win a Big Ten Title”.
Lofty goals for a team that will enter 2015 with a record of 1-10-1 and with zero momentum, losing 1-4 in an exhibition game in their last game of 2014. Nevertheless, Drake remains confident, “We have all the guys it takes to win a big ten title”.
Looking at this Badger team from a distance, a Big Ten title seems far-fetched. What the Badgers do have on their side, is time.
The Badgers have only played two Big Ten Games (losing both to Penn State) and the most conference games any team in the Big Ten has played is four (Penn State and Michigan State). The majority of the Big Ten season will be played in 2015, and for all tense and purposes can be treated by the Badgers as a whole new season.
Looking at the most current standings of the Big Ten, which you can see at: http://www.bigten.org/sports/m-hockey/spec-rel/m-hockey-standings.html , the Badgers find themselves in last place with zero points. So if not the Badgers, who has the best chance of running away with the Big Ten title in 2015?
When you think of front-runners or favorites to win the Big Ten, look no further than the Golden Gophers from Minnesota.
The highest-ranking Big Ten team in the USCHO.com poll has them at number 8 in the nation.
Don Lucia’s boys may have the best raw talent in the Big Ten, they also are able to harness heir talent and play as a team, which is a deadly combination.
Led by Senior Kyle Rau (17 points), Sophomore Justin Kloos (7 goals), and Junior Mike Reilly (14 assists) the Gopher’s look primed to take a Big Ten Title.
Looking at their schedule, they’ve had some very notable wins. They beat Boston College 6-2 in Boston and swept Notre Dame at home early in the year. The team isn’t unbeatable, however, with an overall record of 9-4-1 teams like University of Minnesota-Duluth, Northeastern, and St. Cloud State have laid down the blueprint on how to beat the Gophers.
Minnesota sits fourth in Big Ten standings after winning and then tying Michigan State in their only two games played in conference. Regardless, Minnesota remains my favorite to win it all in 2015.
When trying to pick a dark horse to win the Big Ten title race, it is hard not to look at Penn State.
Penn State currently sits atop the Big Ten standings with a conference record of 3-1 and an overall record of 9-4-2.
Need I remind the public that this is a team that won 8 games all last season? Penn State has already exceeded last year’s total for wins and look like they are coming together nicely.
Getting a good look at this team when they swept Wisconsin at the Kohl Center back on December 5th and 6th, this team has all the right pieces to make a underdog run for a Big Ten Title.
The Nittany Lions are big. They have a group of older veteran guys and they use that to their full advantage. Their size has help lead them to a USCHO.com ranking of 20th, the only other Big Ten team to be ranked apart from the Gophers at 8th.
Junior forward, Casey Bailey, leads the team with 10 goals on the year and 18 total points. Bailey paired with Redshirt Senior, Tyler Holostrom, who has 18 points of his own (4 goals 14 assists) has proven to be the dynamic duo Penn State has been searching for to put them into contention for a Big Ten Title.
The Badgers have a long way to go before they can be considered even in the Big Ten Title picture. While the goal should still be set on winning the title, a more realistic goal may be just ensuring the Badgers do not end the year where thy are now, winless and stuck at last place in the Big Ten.
The next time the Badgers take the ice it will be 2015, when they bring in the New Year by taking on the 5th ranked Michigan Tech at home January 2nd and 3rd.
Tough test to start the preverbal “new season” but the Badgers look to have only positive vibes in the upcoming year and hope to start it off with an upset.
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