Wisconsin men's hockey head coach Mike Eaves, even after watching his team split with last- place Michigan Tech this past weekend at the Kohl Center, categorically believed the Badgers (11-1-2 WCHA, 14-2-2 overall) deserved to hold onto the No. 1 ranking in the country.
'Absolutely,' he said after UW atoned for a no-show on Friday night with a 7-0 shutout in Saturday's game. 'We just tripped over our own shoelaces. We fell down in the mud. We cleaned ourselves off and made a statement that we're a pretty good hockey team. So yes, I would hope that be the case.'
It was the case yesterday, when weekly polls were released and the Badgers turned up No. 1 on USCHO.com and the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine.
Analysts were evidently able to overlook Friday's 4-2 loss, which both coach Eaves and senior captain Adam Burish said was lacking in effort, in favor of the Badgers' 7-0-1 mark this season against ranked opponents.
Elliott coming through
One reason Wisconsin heads the WCHA standings and stands atop many of the nation's defensive categories is the play of junior goaltender Brian Elliott. Friday's contest marked the first time this season UW ceded four goals. One was scored late on an empty-netter as the Badgers made a final attempt to tie the game.
Elliott, who has started in all 18 games this season, currently ranks third in the country with 1.43 goals against average and is fourth in save percentage (94.3).
'He has exceeded any expectations that we had to the degree that he's played right now,' Eaves said of Elliott. 'We knew, and his teammates knew, that he was a very good goaltender, because we shoot on him every day, we see him every day. But he had to answer the hurdle of doing it in games back-to-back.'
Interestingly enough, the second game of the series is when Elliott excels. He has allowed only nine goals (1.00 GAA) and has posted all three of his shutouts in the second night.
'To get the numbers that he has is a tribute to his work, it's a tribute to the defensemen in front of him and it's a tribute to the forwards as well,' Eaves said.
Exhibition up next
The Badgers won't play another game for keeps until December 30-31 at the Badger Hockey Showdown. They will host an exhibition game Friday, however, against the U.S. Under-18 National Team (18-8-1).
Among the team's players are three Badger recruits: forward Blake Geoffrion and defensemen Jamie McBain and Nigel Williams. The group, 3-6-1 against Division I opponents, is coached by former UW assistant coach John Hynes.
Eaves sees the exhibition as more beneficial for the national team, but also as an opportunity for some of his younger players to log some time on the ice and prove their worth.
'We're going to try a couple different things during the game. In terms of the way we want to play, maybe a couple of different face-off plays. We're going to take advantage of the game as well.'
