For the entire Wisconsin Badgers men's hockey team (10-0-2 WCHA, 13-1-2 overall), the two-game sweep this past weekend at Minnesota was a rousing success. The ten-game losing streak at Mariucci ended, the nation's longest unbeaten streak was extended to 14 games, and the number one ranking was duly defended.
But, as head coach Mike Eaves pointed out at his weekly press conference Monday, this series meant just a little bit more to the players in their fourth year with the program.
'The significance of this past weekend was for our seniors,' Eaves explained.
It was almost four years ago that, in Eaves' first season with the Badgers, the five first year players (Adam Burish was out with an injury) saw themselves losing big on the road against the Gophers in front of a loud group of fans.
'When we played up in Minneapolis when our seniors were freshman, and halfway through the period we were getting beat seven, eight to one, we called a timeout,' Eaves said. 'We brought the guys in and we said, 'I want you to listen to this noise.' And it was deafening. And we said, 'This summer, when you're training and you're tired, and you hurt, you remember this noise and you push yourself a little further so this never happens again.''
Apparently, Adam Burish, A.J. Degenhardt, Tom Gilbert, Nick Licari, and Ryan MacMurchy took the message to heart and never forgot the Gophers' 8-1 rout on February 15, 2003.
'So for those guys,' said Eaves reflecting on this past weekend, 'it was at the other end of the spectrum. Those young men that experienced that when they were freshmen ?? the circle becomes complete.'
The topic of a letdown is always a concern after a team rides an emotional high to victory, as Wisconsin did against Minnesota. It becomes even more of a concern when a team as lowly as Michigan Tech is your next opponent. The Huskies are last in the WCHA standings and have lost each of their road games this season.
'Our challenge this weekend is to meet the challenge and make sure that we don't slip,' Eaves said.
Eaves said that emotion is inherent in the Wisconsin-Minnesota rivalry, but that the team will be forced to find it by other means this weekend.
'We talked about are we going to build a fire during the course of the week, so that Friday night comes along, we throw the match in it. Or are we going to have to scramble around, Friday after the first period, start building that darn thing, ' Eaves said.
Freshman forward Jack Skille, a Madison native, was one of 22 players named Monday to the 2006 U.S. National Junior Team. The group will compete at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship in British Columbia from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5. The roster comprises the best American players under the age of 20.
'He's played on an international stage, so that's a huge thing,' Eaves said of the Badgers' leading rookie scorer. 'The other thing that Jack will bring is his speed, his size.'
Shane Connelly, a freshman goalie, may get his first college start this weekend. Junior Brian Elliott has started every game in goal this season for the Badgers and Eaves has been discussing the possibility with Bill Howard, an assistant coach who works with the goalies.
'He's getting closer,' Eaves said. 'In my mind, this weekend would be an opportunity for him to play.'
