Following the spectacle of Saturday's win at Lambeau Field, it is back to business for the No. 4 UW men's hockey team (14-6-2 WCHA, 20-7-2 overall). After the emotion and thrill of winning on the frozen tundra, the Badgers must now focus that energy and momentum on a visit to WCHA-spoiler Michigan Tech (6-12-4, 7-19-4), who stole a game from Wisconsin two months ago.
'I hope the energy will continue; it was probably as good of an emotional energizer as we could hope for,' head coach Mike Eaves said in a Monday press conference. '[We need to] take that energy this week and build on it and continue to grow as far as being a good hockey team.'
The potential for a post-Lambeau hangover and Michigan Tech stealing yet another game is much slimmer this time around. Wisconsin will not overlook the Huskies a second time, and the likely return of junior goalie Brian Elliott should give the Badgers all they need to transition back into the conference schedule. The 'dog days' of the season are finished, and fatigue is no longer a factor as the WCHA title is within UW's grasp.
'We're into our last three weeks, getting ready for the playoffs, [so] injuries don't play that much unless a young man can't walk,' Eaves said. 'They're going to do everything they can to play, that's the nature of athletics when you get close to big games.'
Certainly, fears of last season's collapse have surfaced in the minds of fans and players alike over the last month. However, even with only one win in their last six conference games, Wisconsin remains only two points out of first place. With a moderately easy schedule the rest of the way and the two teams ahead of them facing off this weekend, the Badgers are not overly concerned.
'The differences this year are that we're older, more experienced, and that we applied the lessons we learned from last year,' Eaves said. 'We're [also] getting key personnel back. That wasn't part of the issue last year, so that's a big factor.'
Bad blood marked much of the last series between Michigan Tech and Wisconsin, as 151 penalty minutes were called and five players were thrown out of the last game between the teams. Ninety-eight penalty minutes occurred in the third period alone, so it will be interesting to see whether some animosity carries into the series. MTU defenseman Jake Wilkens was thrown out of both games, but coach Eaves says retribution is unlikely this weekend.
'We've talked about it with our team and their coach is going to talk about it with their team,' Eaves said. 'College hockey is not built around revenge, it's just not a part of our game.'
