I was at the last Clarkson - Wisconsin games.  As I recall Clarkson had a
pretty good team that year (80-81?), ranking in the top 3 in the nation for
much of the year.  After being shocked by Providence in the semis of the
ECAC tournament (Clarkson had a 2 goal lead with  1:09 to go), the NCCA's
were viewed as the chance to show that the ECAC loss was a fluke.
 
Unfortunately, Clarkson lost the two game series by one goal, and I believe
Wisconsin went on to win it all that year...
 
I was quite impressed by the number of Wisconsin fans that made the trip to
Potsdam.  The visitor's section was full, and the fans were very loud and
boisterous.  I remember very well one guy who was about 6'8" tall and wore
red & white vertically striped pants, and a red shirt.  The visitor's
section was almost a solid mass of red.  I feel these fans made a
big difference in overcoming the disadvantage of playing Clarkson in Walker.
 
Last time these two teams played, my recollection was that Wisconsin was a
bigger, more physical team.  Any idea how the teams match up size-wise this
year?  Based on the size of Clarkson's team this year, I think they will
match up well with the western team's more physical style of play.
 
If Clarkson gets good goaltending, then I think they have a good chance of
beating Wisconsin.  Especially if Wisconsin tends to get a lot of
penalties...  That power play is impressive.
--
Craig McGowan
Clarkson, '80