A week and a half break between big games can give some teams fits, as they start to tighten up and over analyze the situation at hand. The UW men's hockey team (28-10-3) does not fit that mold. In fact, the team appears to be as relaxed as ever heading into Thursday's Frozen Four showdown with Maine (28-11-2).
Last week we took a couple days to just settle down and get back to the basics,\ junior goaltender Brian Elliott said. ""It's going to be good just to get down there and see the atmosphere in the Bradley Center and when Thursday comes around we'll just be focused on the game.""
""They've [the rest of the Badgers] been upbeat, it's been exciting, just the anticipation of getting down there,"" senior forward and captain Adam Burish said. ""That's the feeling around the dressing room, we're focused but we're going to go out there and have fun.""
Walking the thin line between being relaxed and being focused is never easy, but all week the coaching staff preached its importance. A mix of days off and hard practice along with some important advice has helped calm many of the butterflies as the team readies for the biggest game of the season.
""Our quote for this week was ‘just play,'"" Elliott said. ""We all know how to play the games. We don't have to be nervous about it. We just have to go out there and do it.""
""We've had some days where we've just gone out and played some four on four scrimmages,"" Burish said. ""It's a chance to still practice but have some fun and just play.""
One thing evident from practice is that no matter the situation, the Badgers love to talk. Whether it be encouragement or mocking the younger players for their inability to participate fully in the tradition of growing a beard for the playoffs, Burish maintains the chatter is extremely helpful.
""It's just the attitude of the guys, continuing to remind each other, let's be upbeat,"" he said. ""When you have a locker room that's kind of quiet, kind of tense, we haven't performed as well.""
""We've started to realize that if everybody's talking and everybody's upbeat, we're going to be pretty good to start the game,"" Burish added. ""If we start the game well we've been pretty successful, so having a great locker room and having an exciting bunch of guys is when we're good.""
Despite the laid back attitude, Wisconsin became additionally focused the last few days. With what should be a hard-fought game against the Black Bears quickly approaching, the coaches turned up the heat for practice.
""The past couple days we've been working pretty hard and getting down to the forechecking, the breakouts and just the hard aspects of the game,"" Elliott said. ""I think we balanced it pretty well, we've got one more practice in Milwaukee and then come game time we'll be ready to go.""
At the end of Tuesday's practice, head coach Mike Eaves took a little practice of his own, firing shots at the backup goaltenders. The intensity in his eyes showed how much he'd like to be out on the ice with his players come game time Thursday.
""I'm sure he'd love to be out there; he said before that watching is harder than playing,"" Burish said. ""I'd love to have him out there, when he comes out and plays with us he's still got it. But I don't know if he's got any eligibility left, I think he's done.""
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