By Sasha Goldstein
Powerplay
After last year's National Championship win, the number of Badger hockey players that would return for another season was completely up in the air. With five seniors leaving for certain and many other players considering pursing their respective professional careers in the NHL, the 2006-'07 Badgers needed a leader to step up and take control. Enter senior goalie Brian Elliott.
Elliott, hailing from Newmarket, Ontario, is one of the, if not the, best goalies in all of NCAA hockey. His draft rights are currently owned by the NHL's Ottawa Senators, and the chance to jump to that next level is certainly enticing, especially after a season like Elliott had last year. His outstanding 2005-'06 season ended with a National Championship, a place on the Frozen Four All-Tournament Team, being named a top-three finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, eight shutouts, and a .938 save percentage. These Badger record statistics prove how important he is as a member of the team.
A goalie is truly underappreciated until he is injured, and misses a considerable amount of games. Last season proved that. When Elliot went down with an injury in early January, freshman Goalie Shane Connelly stepped in. He started by losing his first four games, before winning two of three. Connelly lacked the experience Elliott had, and it showed. Still, Connelly held the Badgers together for a few games until Elliott came back from his injury, and finished off the season with a 9-1 record, and of course, a National Championship. Elliott finished the season with a 27-5-3 record, proving that his return to the Badgers this year was key.
After the first two weeks of this season, Elliott's presence is all the more important. The Badgers have thus far been plagued with injuries, as sophomore Jack Skille, senior Ross Carlson and junior Kyle Kluberantz were all hurt and are out indefinitely after Friday's loss to North Dakota. Not only will their play be missed, but so will their experience, as a number of freshmen on the roster have had to step up and play more than they would have imagined this early in their careers.
There are nine freshmen on the roster this year, and so far, each one has seen ice time in at least one game, including five players that have played in three of four games. As a senior, Elliott has led these young Badgers to a 2-1-1 record, and eased their transition to college hockey as he shut out the Sioux 1-0 on Saturday.
Elliott downplayed any extra pressure he put on himself when having a younger, less experienced team to play with.
""I put the same pressure on myself no matter how many goals we score; if we win 9-0 or 1-0, it's the same pressure,"" Elliott said. ""I want to let the least amount of goals in as possible, no matter what kind of game we are going into; that is my goal, and it should be our defensive goal as well.""
That attitude and drive have given Elliott 13 career shutouts, and a measly 1.56 goals against average during his time as a Badger. As for personal goals, Elliott still sees room for improvement: ""Same thing as last year, just to play my best and every game get a little bit better and hopefully put some good numbers up and win a lot of games,"" Elliott said. ""But for me personal goals really take a backseat to the team goals.""
His team-first attitude as a player is part of what made Elliott's return this season so important. Despite being considered a top-three player in the NCAA last season, Elliott knew that the team still had enormous potential, and that he could be a key ingredient in a run to repeat as champs. Elliot will certainly need to play his best this season, as the Badgers have a target on them as the No. 2 hockey team in the nation. And, who knows, Elliott may even win the Hobey Baker award; just don't mention that to him.
