The Saints get back home for just the second time this season as they take on the Wisconsin Rampage in a Wisconsin grudge match. The last time these two teams met Central Wisconsin eliminated Wisconsin in the GLJHL playoffs. The Rampage are off to a hot start going 11-6 to start the season. Central Wisconsin has stumbled out of the gate with a 1-7 record.

Central Wisconsin

The Saints have finally filled out their roster. Bringing back veterans Mike Mitch and Ian Dart will bring the total skaters up to 18 which should be a boon to the previously short staffed Saints. Mitch and Dart are both entering their third seasons all with Central Wisconsin. Dart is the Saints all-time leader in games played. Coach Vichorek will look to these players to lead an offense that needs to play better defensively as the Saints have struggled to keep the puck out of their own net. Goaltending and Defense have been areas of weakness early in the season but having enough players should help ease the pressure.

The Saints grabbed their first win of the season in the shootout last weekend against the previously undefeated Ft. Wayne Federals. Although Ft. Wayne won the series Central Wisconsin showed well in two of the three matchups and gained some momentum and confidence as the series continued. Veterans Max Culp and Kyle Harnish are still the leading point-getters for the Saints. Rookie Jeremy Ebert has put together a strong start to his season. His 5 goals lead the team.

The second line of Colin van Hauter, Eric Keljo and Kenton Grulkowski will need to produce more for the Saints. Grulkowski is the only player on this line to record a goal. Keljo and van Hauter were expected to produce and up to this point they have not. A strong series for the Second line could mean some big wins for Central Wisconsin.

Wisconsin

The Rampage have been playing well since early in the season. They will be looking to take revenge on the Saints for their early playoff exit last season. They are relying on a number of key returnees to maintain their strength in the GLJHL. Daniel Kerr and Christopher Wachal are both in their second year and they have been offensively productive with 25 and 23 points respectively. Wachal leads the team with 14 goals. They are joined by newcomer Cody Miller who has produced 24 points in his first 16 GLJHL games.

Defenseman Brenner Blankenship adds some leadership to a defense that his been effective so far this season. Goaltending has been an issue for the Rampage. Their top two goaltenders are Kyle Weiner and Carson Kirkpatrick and both returning goaltenders have been average for much of the season. If they can hold the line their offense should be able to get the job done against a Saints tema that has allowed a lot of goals this season.

Keys to the Game 

Audio feed for the game can be found online at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/cw-saints-hockey

Central Wisconsin: Defensive Responsibility. Head Coach Mark Vichorek was stressed that his team will think defense first. That hasn't been the case early in the season. It will be up to the team to start tightening up defensively so their offense has a chance to win some more games this weekend.

Wisconsin: Fast Start. If they can get the Saints disorganized quickly they should be able to pounce on their demoralized rivals. The Rampage have a high powered offense and if they can start rolling early it should be a very successful series of the team from Pleasant Prairie.

Broadcast Details

Live audio from the game can be found at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/cw-saints-hockey. It is provided by WWSP 90FM.

Video can be found on www.fasthockey.com.