At the end of last weekend's sweep of Michigan Tech, the Wisconsin men's hockey team sits fourth in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association standings. After starting off the season 0-6-1, the Badgers have rattled off three straight wins, and seem poised to make an impact once again in arguably the best conference in college hockey.
There are many reasons to the sudden success of UW head coach Mike Eaves' squad. The upperclassmen - mainly junior forwards Blake Geoffrion and John Mitchell, as well as junior defenseman and co-assistant captain Jamie McBain - have started to come through and play at the high level fans have come to expect. The defense has started to pull together, as it gave up only five total goals last weekend, as opposed to the 13 goals given up three weekends ago at Denver.
Oh, and going five-for-seven on the powerplay doesn't hurt either.
One of the smaller reasons for the team's success, which could play a huge role further in the season, is the play of sophomore goaltender Scott Gudmandson.
Getting the start Saturday, Gudmandson recorded his first career shutout against the Huskies, stopping all 34 shots on goal. During the offseason, Eaves commented on Gudmandson's play, and said that many scouts saw him competing with senior starter Shane Connelly for ice time.
But after a terrible start to the season - Gudmandson gave up 12 goals in his first two starts - it seemed like the sophomore from Sherwood Park, Alberta, would have to wait until next season for his next opportunity.
But with his play Saturday, Gudmandson has opened up talk of a two goalie system, something that Eaves has not ruled out.
There's always that possibility. It's a funny thing with goaltenders. In our sport, even more so than baseball, where it's kind of like that it's an individual sport within a team sport,"" Eaves said. ""Although pitchers can't go back to back nights, goaltenders can. The basic philosophy is to let the young man play, see how he plays, and then go from there.""
Eaves' philosophy has been consistent during his time at UW. Three seasons ago, when Brian Elliott was the main netminder, Connelly played sparingly as a sophomore, with Eaves knowing that the next season would be his.
Now Connelly is the senior, and it is Gudmandson who will be counted on next season and perhaps beyond. The Badgers did not bring in a goaltender in the last recruiting class, signaling Gudmandson as the future Badger goalie.
However, nothing will be handed to Gudmandson, who will have to continue to earn ice time during the week in practice.
""I think for Guddy [Gudmandson], he's got to really practice again like he did last week,"" Eaves said. ""That was the reason that he got the start, and it was one of those opportunities that we felt during the season that we could give him a start, because he needs to get some of those before Shane graduates.""
The next few weeks will show how far Guddy has truly come. After a series at Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State, the Badgers return to the Kohl Center for the College Hockey Showcase against Michigan and Michigan State. Eaves has always liked to use his backup in one of these games, as well as the Badger Hockey Showdown after the Holiday season.
These are the next best chances to see who the true Gudmandson is, and whether he and Connelly will split time the rest of the season or Connelly will resume the No. 1 goaltender spot on the line chart.
Either way, the Badgers have a bright future, if not present, in front of the net.
Will Gudmandson continue to play strong for UW? E-mail your thoughts to Nate at ncarey@wisc.edu.
