Wisconsin men’s hockey head coach Mike Eaves addressed the media Monday at his weekly press conference, and the mood was somewhat optimistic, even though the No. 10 Badgers split last weekend’s series with then-No. 3 North Dakota.
“At the beginning of the year you are going to have your peaks and valleys and low points,” Eaves said. “One thing great about college athletics is that we know Monday morning where we stand.”
The Badgers (2-2 WCHA, 5-3 overall) played a tough series against the Fighting Sioux, and the intensity of the weekend boiled over as a full-out brawl broke out near the end of Saturday’s UW loss.
However, the stellar play of junior goalie Shane Connelly is the main thing that Eaves remembers, and he gave some insight into Connelly’s success in his first season as a full-time starter.
“Every goaltender to a degree has [a detailed memory]. He has done that his whole life,” Eaves said. “I don’t know if [former goalie Brian Elliott] was at the same level of Shane keeping track of guys and who is hot and what’s their favorite shot and stuff like that. Shane is probably the most detailed goalie that I have seen in a while in that area.”
Freshman forward Kyle Turris was also a main topic of discussion, as the New Westminster, B.C., native has found a huge target on his back during the first two weekends of WCHA play. Eaves commented on Turris’ ability to adapt to the higher level, as well as what the team can do to help with the process.
“I think the fact we are still in the process of finding the right people to play with Kyle [is part of his adapting],” Eaves said. “I think we will fiddle a little bit with [a possible line change] this weekend and see if we can find some more chemistry. But in the meantime it is just growth that is going to happen over time.”
Chemistry will be important for the Badgers, as they head to No. 7 Colorado College this weekend to take on the Tigers. Eaves was very descriptive in explaining just how massive of an ice rink CC (5-1 WCHA, 5-3 overall) has.
“If you have ever been out to that rink, that thing’s an ocean … You can park an 18-wheeler below the goal line and it still wouldn’t touch the edge of the boards from side to side, it’s such a big sheet of ice,” Eaves said jokingly.
However, Eaves said he felt confident about his young team’s ability to skate on a larger sheet of ice.
“I think that we have a little more of an ability to skate [than in previous years],” Eaves said.
While only time will tell how well the Badgers will skate against the Tigers, Eaves is optimistic and excited to see how his young group of speedy skaters adapts to the new environment.
“I think we have kids who can skate and they will embrace it,” Eaves said. “I’m looking forward to see how they handle it.”
