Wisconsin gets two weeks to prepare for road trip to Mariucci

Wisconsin coach Mike Eaves intends to roll up his sleeves the next couple of weeks.

His Badgers got swept -- at home -- this past weekend by Colorado College, losing 5-4 in OT and 3-0.

Now he and his players have two weeks to think about that before the Badgers play the Gophers at Mariucci Arena.

"It's about choosing the way we go into our bye week," Eaves said, according to a UW news release. "Our response is that we are going back to work.

"And we have two weeks of practice that we can pound and get better in certain parts of our game. So when we go on the road after our bye week, we are ready to play and hopefully will be able to do some good things."

There was a shortage of good things for the home team at the Kohl Center.

On Saturday, the Badgers (1-4-1, 1-2-1) outshot an opponent for the first time, but it didn't matter. Joe Howe of Plymouth (he went to Wayzata High) made 33 saves for a shutout.

With about four minutes left in the second period., CC took a 2-0 lead when Alexander Krushelnyski scored unassisted on a shot that bounced off a Badgers' stick.

Soon afterward, Matt Pappe of the Badgers appeared tro have scored in a scramble in front of the Tigers' net, but the referees ruled a Badger had interfered with Howe.

The Tigers scored again at 16:15 of the third period. Mike Boivin got the goal on a power play.

If breaks even out, some UW opponent is going to pay.

SCSU AND SPLITS

Next for the Huskies is another team they always seem to split with: North Dakota. Last season North Dakota won the first game at the National Hockey Center in mid-January 3-1, lost the second 3-1.

At the Ralph, the scores wee 4-0 SCSU the first night, 3-1 UND the second in late October. This series is in St. Cloud.

Junior forward Nic Dowd of the Huskies is third in the nation in goals with six and in points with 12. He has three game-winners. Senior forward Drew LeBlanc (3-8-11) is only a point behind him.