Facing its first Frozen Four since 1992, one would expect the UW men's hockey team (28-10-3) to be slightly nervous heading into its semi-final game against Maine (28-11-2). A partisan crowd in Milwaukee and a season full of big games should dispel those jitters quickly, though, and head coach Mike Eaves has his team revved and ready to go for the national championship.
I don't think there's much more preparation I can give them,\ Eaves said in a Monday teleconference. ""They've played in front of 41,000 at Lambeau; they know the atmosphere they're in for.""
Coming off an instant classic of a game Sunday against Cornell, the Badgers could not be much happier with the way they're playing. They showed heart in fighting through 111 minutes of being stonewalled before finally getting the puck in the net. Eaves had high praise for freshman forward Jack Skille and junior Brian Elliott as well as the entire team.
""It just seems that [Skille] has the ability to go for long periods of time and he plays with great enthusiasm,"" Eaves said. ""Elliott has been the backbone of this team.""
""It really comes down to will,"" Eaves added. ""It was amazing how the team still had energy in there.""
With the Frozen Four even closer to home than the regionals were, Wisconsin will still have the advantage of playing in front of their fans. The Bradley Center should be packed to the rafters with red and white.
""To say that we're excited would be an understatement, the fact that we're heading into Milwaukee in our home state,"" Eaves said. ""The kids are playing well at the right time, we expect nothing less than a terrific game with Maine.""
It is always a challenge to win in the Frozen Four, let alone when on the road at a ""neutral"" site, but it is not unfamiliar territory for Maine. In the last few years, the Black Bears were forced to travel to places like Minnesota and Michigan in the NCAA tournament to take on the Gophers and Wolverines.
""We're very used to that, we understand the challenge there,"" Maine head coach Tim Whitehead said. ""The one thing it guarantees is that there's going to be a great environment to play in, that's what we all hope for.""
Maine fought through a tough road to make it to the Frozen Four, defeating Harvard and Michigan State. Senior forward John Hopson added three goals to the 11 that the Black Bears scored over the weekend, but those goals were not against the vaunted Badger defense and Elliott.
""[It's] going to be very difficult, we know we have our hands full with Wisconsin at all three positions,"" Whitehead said. ""They're a team that I have tremendous respect for.""
If UW gets past the Black Bears, it will face the winner of the North Dakota/Boston College game on April 8. The Fighting Sioux appear to be favored with the way they have played lately, but Boston College will not go down easily.
""College hockey right now is at its finest moment,"" said BC head coach Jerry York.
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