The way things look early on, the Badger men’s hockey team must’ve picked up some pointers from the UW’s hoops team because this year’s squad is rebounding nicely! Before the calendar has even flipped to December, the squad has already notched its seventh win of the season after tallying only eight wins total (8-19-8) in 2015–16.
A gauntlet lies ahead, however, and it goes by the name of Big Ten Play. Beginning on December 9, the Badgers will play ten series against conference foes. But first-year coach Tony Granato x’87 has this team poised to climb higher than an errant slap shot. So there’s no chance the Badgers finish last in the conference for a second straight year. How will things ultimately shake out? Here’s my best shot at what the final standings will look like:
- Ohio State
- Minnesota
- Wisconsin
- Michigan
- Penn State
- Michigan State
Where do you see the team ending up? Do they make a serious power play for the top of the conference? Or will they be stuck in the neutral zone for another season? Regardless, it’s a good bet that coach Granato will eventually have the Badgers skating circles around the conference for years to come.
