The definition of a split personality disorder is a neurosis in which the personality becomes dissociated into two or more distinct parts, each of which becomes dominant and controls behavior from time to time to the exclusion of the other parts.
It seems more and more apparent that the Wisconsin men's hockey team (8-9-1 WCHA, 11-13-2 overall) is suffering from some sort of double personality as it split another weekend series against Minnesota State and extended its streak of split series to four.
UW could not get going in Friday's game, losing 3-1 to the Mavericks, but stormed back in Saturday's matchup to win 4-1. Head coach Mike Eaves shared his frustration over another split after Saturday's game.
""I wish we had [that intensity] both nights,"" Eaves said. ""Last night is over and today we went out there and tried to do what we can control and having that type of start is what we needed to get off on the right foot.""
Sophomore forward Jack Skille also shared his dismay over Friday's loss, stating the Badgers were not playing ""Wisco hockey."" But after Saturday's win, Skille sang a different tune.
""We went out there and played relentless from the start,"" he said.
It is obvious why Skille was personally having fun, considering he recorded his first career hat trick as a Badger. Skille scored on a backhand shot in the second period, a wrist shot into the top shelf in the third and an empty-netter with less than two minutes left in the game.
The second period was interrupted by extracurricular activities. According to Eaves and the players, the brawl started after freshman forward Blake Geoffrion slammed a Maverick into his own bench, and from there the punches began to fly. Six players earned at least 12 minutes in the penalty box, and with freshman forward Michael Davies already in the box, the Badgers were forced to go 4-on-3 for the rest of the period.
However, while Skille made headlines with his offensive explosion and the second period brawl was exciting, the most intriguing story was definitely the starting of sophomore goalie Shane Connelly over senior Brian Elliott.
Connelly gave up one goal on 17 shots, and displayed some impressive saves during the end of the second and beginning of the third periods while the Badgers were down two men. However, the sophomore goaltender was not the only lineup change, as Eaves almost resorted to pulling his lineup out of a hat to try to create some electricity among his players.
Wisconsin heads to Colorado College next weekend.
