Near the end of last season's second-half swoon, goals were coming at a premium for the Wisconsin men's hockey team. The high-powered offense never seemed to be able to shift into the next gear. This season the team has shown some of the same struggles, but the No. 12 Badgers do not appear to be very concerned.
'It seems like we've got to get down with the chemistry,' freshman forward Jack Skille said. 'It takes a little bit at the beginning of the season.'
'It's early in the season, look over the league and no one is blowing out anybody right now, so you can't really look at just us not scoring goals,' junior forward Robbie Earl said.
Despite only nine goals in four games, the Badgers have still squeaked out a 2-1-1 record thus far. However, with the shadow of a daunting Western Collegiate Hockey Association schedule looming over them, the offense is going to have to show marked improvement. Early November brings games against a pair of perennial powerhouses in a trip to No. 6 North Dakota and a home weekend against No. 2 Colorado College.
'I think we've gotten off to a slow start because we are trying to be too cute, trying to make the perfect play,' sophomore forward Joe Pavelski said. 'All we need is [to get] the puck to the net, crash it and just play off broken plays whenever the puck is at the net.'
Particularly disconcerting for Wisconsin has been the inability to score on the power play. They are currently two for 29, a .069 average, and have only fired off 23 shots in those 29 opportunities. Although they were only 1-9 in Saturday's game against St. Cloud State, the special teams unit looked better and got the important goal.
'I think last game was the real game where we got our power play going,' Earl said. 'We got good quality shots, a lot of chances, I think this week and the week after will be a lot smoother.'
'We just need to move the puck a little bit better, get it in the zone, set it up and take a few more shots,' Pavelski said.
Earl and Pavelski are obviously going to be the big scorers for the UW squad, but the Badgers could use another couple of skaters lighting up the lamp on a regular basis.
Seniors Ryan MacMurchy and Tom Gilbert have added some much-needed offense, but the wild card may be Skille. Second on the team with two goals, the 6'1\ freshman was already drafted seventh overall by the Chicago Blackhawks and displays some incredible potential.
'I work hard down low, I score here and there,' Skille said. 'Hopefully I'll be able to score some goals, bring the [offensive] end up, but I'll just be working my hardest.'
The next month of play will undoubtedly reveal just how good this Wisconsin team really is. An absolutely brutal stretch that includes North Dakota, Colorado College, No. 1 Michigan, No. 8 Michigan State and No. 7 Minnesota will show if the Badgers are truly an elite national hockey club.
The puck had better find the net for the offense, or they could find themselves in a hole that will be extraordinarily difficult to get out of.
'The question is when are we going to break out and starting scoring goals,' Earl said. 'Goal scoring takes time to get everyone on the same page, to get in that groove.'
Not that Wisconsin can look past this weekend's matchup against Alaska-Anchorage, who has been riding a hot goalie, sophomore John DeCaro, as of late.
'Basically [we] just [have to] get traffic in front, throw it at him,' Pavelski said. 'It's going to be the second, third, fourth try to get it in.'
