From today's Minnesota Daily: Headline: Border battle is war for Gophers Publish Date: 01/07/1994 David Jackson Staff Reporter The border battle never seemed so big. Wisconsin comes to town this weekend, and their visit comes at a crucial time for the Gophers. Minnesota is in sixth place in the WCHA, and is entering a nine-week stretch of nothing but conference games. They begin with the 12-5-1 Badgers, co-leaders in the conference and the nation's second-ranked team in the College Hockey USA coaches poll. The two teams play Saturday at Mariucci Arena and Sunday at Target Center, with both games starting at 2:05 p.m. The Gophers are six points behind the Badgers and this series can push the Gophers toward where they want to be in the standings. ``If we sweep, we jump to the top of the conference and if we get swept we spend the rest of the season looking up at everyone else,'' forward Jeff Nielsen said. Emotion plays a big part in every Badger-Gopher series. For the seniors, it's a final chance to play their rival in front of a home crowd. For the freshmen, it's an introduction to one of the fiercest rivalries in college hockey. ``Any time we drop the puck with Minnesota, it's going to be an intense series no matter where it is,'' Badger coach Jeff Sauer said. Part of the emotion stems from the Badgers having 13 Minnesotans on their roster. But Sauer said he didn't think this would be a factor. ``The team I have is a very mature team,'' Sauer said. ``The guys from Minnesota have gotten used to playing against the school they grew up with.'' And it's not as if all the Badgers had to make a radical shift in allegiances when they put on the cardinal and white uniforms. ``It's a conception that all kids in Minnesota want to play for the Gophers,'' said Badger forward Chris Tucker, a graduate of Bloomington Jefferson. ``Kids definitely enjoy watching their games, but it's nice to have both schools nearby and have the option.'' The Gophers are playing their best hockey of the season, coming off a double-overtime loss to No. 3 Lake Superior State in the Mariucci Classic finals. That's important, because Minnesota is facing a veteran Badger team with 10 seniors. They didn't suffer the key personnel losses of the WCHA's other teams. No underclassmen left for Team USA, and only one, Dan Plante, signed with a pro team. As a result, team depth has enabled them to overcome injuries to key personnel and remain near the top of the conference. ``That's the difference between the two teams,'' Gopher coach Doug Woog said. ``They won despite the injuries and we didn't. They have the offensive depth, at least three good forward lines.'' And behind them are a tough group of defenseman and two capable goalies in Jim Carey, last season's WCHA rookie of the year, and freshman Kirk Daubenspeck. ``The goalies are pushing each other. Jimmy doesn't have the stats he had last year, but he has helped us get in first place and that's where we want to be,'' Sauer said. So the team that uses the emotion of the rivalry to its advantage could come out ahead. ``Last year we needed to get back into the race and we went down there and played two solid games,'' defenseman Chris McAlpine said. ``That's what you've got to do against a team like them.'' Nielsen added, ``It's the Badgers and you hate to lose and so do they. So I think the teams will prepare a little extra and you'll see that in the play.'' The series was never as even as last year. Wisconsin earned a win and a tie at Minneapolis and the Gophers did the same at Madison. Then, in the WCHA semifinals, Nielsen scored at 11:29 of overtime, ramming in a loose puck with his back to the net, giving the Gophers a 3-2 win. Minnesota went on to win the tournament and get an automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs. ``That was big for me personally,'' Nielsen said. ``But it seems like every series with them is big. At this point, you'd have to say every weekend is big.'' Pam Sweeney Go Gophers!!! [log in to unmask] 1993 WCHA Playoff Champions!!! [log in to unmask] Ski-U-Mah!!!