The Daily Cardinal suits up and sits down with freshman center Alex Leavitt. Leavitt, who turns 18 on Jan. 31, has six goals and six assists in his rookie season with the Badgers.
What does getting a tie and a win against nationally ranked St. Cloud State this weekend mean for the team?
This weekend was huge for our team. Beating a team that is ranked third in the nation is obviously a huge momentum booster. Hopefully, we can carry it into the next weekend as well.
With the team struggling on Saturday nights at home, how important was it to get a win last Saturday?
We have had trouble on Saturday nights at home. If we get the split, we only come out of this weekend with one point, and that does not really help us that much. By getting the win Saturday and three out of four points, it is huge.
What effect has Coach Sauer's decision to retire at the end of the season had on the team?
Everyone got a sense that it was his last year, and we are just trying to make it special. The team has also come closer together.
It has been a long season. How do you stay emotionally and physically on top of your game?
That is a good question. We have to be focused and come to the rink every day ready to play. That is pretty much why you play the game'to get better and better. Hopefully, we can move on to bigger and better things.
How important has home-ice advantage been for the team this year?
We have been really comfortable playing at home this year. Playing in front of 15,000 or 16,000 fans really motivates you to play. Everyone really wants to step it up to show we deserve respect in this league.
What are the team's goals for the rest of the season?
Obviously we want to finish in the top three or four in the league. That allows us to go into the playoffs with a home-ice advantage. I would be lying if said I didn't believe we could win the whole thing. Every team's goal is to win the WCHA, and I think we have the team to do that.
Describe this year's season in one word.
Crazy.
