The Wisconsin men’s hockey team (8-5-1) is certainly getting its fair share of opponents from the state of Michigan.

After defeating Michigan State and losing to Michigan in the College Hockey Showcase last weekend, the Badgers will return to WCHA conference play as they are set to take on the Michigan Tech Huskies (3-9-0) for a series at the Kohl Center.

For UW head coach Mike Eaves and his team, a quick group with strong skating ability is the challenge that lies ahead.

“They are a good skating team,” Eaves said. “They try to utilize that by taking time and space away so in all situations they are going to come at us, they are going to put pressure on us.”

Eaves also noted Michigan Tech tends to play aggressively on the offensive end, with defenseman more often than not jumping into play to create scoring chances.

“They like to jump their defenseman in on the rush and attack so they are really going to get up and down the ice, so we are making sure our fellas are ready for that,” he said.

To counteract the speed of the Huskies, the Badgers will look to impose a physical game on their opponents.

Senior forward Ben Grotting, a player know for his toughness and grit, understands the importance of finishing checks and tough plays along the boards with Michigan Tech’s style of play coming to town.

“Yeah I think our physical game is going to be important,” Grotting said. “Our plan is to match their intensity and energy to give us the advantage.”

While the Huskies’ skating ability has gotten the attention of the UW coaching staff, freshman defenseman Justin Schultz is well aware of his own team’s speed on the rush. Schultz is confident the Badgers are more than capable of countering Michigan Tech’s speed and tempo.

“I mean we are a good skating team, too,” he said. “We’ve got guys that can skate pretty well and if we can match their speed when they come into the zone we should be fine.”

As far as the UW attack is concerned, the message remains the same. This team needs to find a way to capitalize on chances night in and night out.

Against MSU, the Badgers found a variety of ways to score and put seven goals on the board against one of the nation’s top teams. Against Michigan, however, UW reverted back to its old ways.

Wisconsin once again had the shot advantage, posting 45, but with only two goals to show for it, the Badgers fell 3-2 in Ann Arbor after the Wolverines netted a shorthanded goal.

To generate goal scoring opportunities the formula is simple for UW — get bodies in front of the net.

“Getting guys in front of the net is a big key for us,” Schultz said. “Going to the hard areas and working for goals in front should definitely help us this weekend.”

According to sophomore forward Derek Stepan, it was the work in the hard areas that got him back on track. The skilled forward was admittedly in a scoring slump, but he credits the six-point weekend (two goals, four assists) he had last time out to the physical mentality he played with.

“It was the key to my success last weekend,” Stepan said. “Getting in front of the net out there in the hard areas and playing with an edge got me more involved in the game and that is what I need to continue to do.”

Now, after back-to-back weekend splits on the road, the Badgers are looking forward to bringing a smart and physical game back to the Kohl Center against a team they swept a season ago.

“It’s definitely nice to be back home, you know the road trips are pretty long,” Stepan said. “But it doesn’t matter where you play, the home ice advantage is nice, but we need to go out there and compete.”