Nobody hit the panic button quite yet.
Yes, the now No. 2 men's hockey team (13-3-2 WCHA, 18-4-2 overall) was swept last weekend. Yes, it only scored two goals in those two games. Nonetheless, it was only one weekend and two games in the long Western Collegiate Hockey Association season. The Badgers still have a four-point lead in the WCHA standings, but that lead could quickly evaporate as the No. 4 Gophers (9-5-2, 16-6-4) come to town this weekend.
'We got swept last weekend, guys are disappointed, guys are embarrassed and upset, but nothing changes,' senior forward Adam Burish said. 'We've been successful for a reason, if you start changing things around, that shows panic, and that's not the nature of this group of guys.'
Many reasons can be given for Wisconsin's poor performance last weekend. Although freshman Shane Connelly played admirably, anytime a team loses one of the best goalies in college hockey, it is going to take some time to adjust. Also worth noting is the fact that Denver absolutely owns the Badgers at the Kohl Center, putting up a 9-1-2 record.
'They're definitely a good veteran team, they know how to play on the road,' Burish said. 'Once you get a lead you have to play with a little bit of attitude, they did that, that's why they're a championship team.'
Perhaps the most worrisome part of the Denver games was the offense's attempts to do too much and make the perfect play, especially on the power play. This is a slight tendency of the Badger offense, as it has a talented group of scorers, but Wisconsin is at its best when it is creating screens and crashing the net.
'I don't think it was so much them, yeah they're a great team seeing as how they've won two national championships,' Burish said. 'We ran into a hot goaltender, one of those weekends where we just couldn't find goals.'
To get past last weekend, the Badgers may need to take a glimpse at last season's late collapse and see what not to do. Winning only three times in their last 14 games, much of the offense fell apart and the defense was not able to make up for it. However, with many of the same players from last season, another breakdown is not likely.
As well as Connelly played against Denver, he has to take his game to another level when the No. 2 offense in the nation enters Madison. The Gophers score four goals per game and have two of the more dangerous offensive players in the WCHA in freshman Phil Kessel and junior Ryan Potulny, who is third in the nation in goals, and tied for first in power play goals.
'Going against a guy of Kessel's stature, you want to know when he's out there,' Connelly said. 'You have to know he's going to make a lot of smart decisions out there, just like the rest of the guys.'
'It's gonna be another tough weekend for [Connelly], another sold out crowd,' senior defenseman Tom Gilbert said. 'But now it's nothing he's never experienced, he's been there and he knows what it takes to win.'
How the Badgers respond this weekend could show how they will fare for the rest of the season, or at least until Elliott returns. Will Wisconsin begin a late season swoon again, or will they take down Minnesota? Two exciting games at the Kohl Center certainly will answer that question.
