Nothing is guaranteed, not even a victory over 16th-seeded Bemidji State.
Yet the University of Wisconsin’s path to the sixth NCAA men’s hockey title in program history could not have been designed more conveniently than it was Sunday for Mike Eaves’ team.
As expected, the Badgers (26-10-3) were awarded the No. 1 overall seeding in the 16-team field. The clincher was the Badgers’ 4-0 victory over top-ranked Minnesota in the third-place game of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoffs Saturday in St. Paul, Minn.