As UW students enter another semester, or their first for all of the incoming freshmen, the fall is full of great excitement and anticipation.
Football plays a heavy role in this, as students throw away their textbooks and study sheets in order to paint their faces and don their favorite jersey every Saturday and cheer for their beloved Badgers. Basketball is also very popular, as last year's record-setting season will undoubtedly send thousands of students into a frenzy once November rolls around.
However, there is one fall sport that seems to rank higher than basketball and rival football in terms of fandom, and yet no one is talking about it.
It is interesting that only one year removed from an NCAA National Championship, the UW men's hockey team is already flying under everyone's radar.
But this is not to say that there isn't a reason for it. Last year the men's hockey team finished a disappointing 19-18-4, and never really caught its stride as a team. Not only did UW have to cope with losing its top five scorers from its championship year, but it quickly lost sophomore Jack Skille and senior Ross Carlson to injuries. While both Skille and Carlson did return later in the year, Wisconsin was unable to overcome the tremendous odds that were stacked against it.
The Badgers had an up and down year to say the least, as they swept North Dakota at Ralph Engelstad Arena, but then split the next five series, and were swept by Michigan Tech at a time when UW had the opportunity to move into the upper echelon of the WCHA.
Wisconsin also said farewell to seven seniors, including starting goalie Brian Elliott. Elliot was as solid as he was in his junior season for Wisconsin, when he was a finalist for the Hobey Baker award, but did not have the offensive firepower to back him up. Andrew Joudrey and Jake Dowell, two senior forwards, also graduated and will be sorely missed because of their leadership and scoring ability.
The Badgers also lost sophomore forward Jack Skille to the NHL. Skille injured his elbow on the opening homestand of the season, and was never able to fully recover.
However, with all of this turmoil there has to be a new beginning, and head coach Mike Eaves has the players to quickly turn the program around next year.
Then freshmen Michael Davies and Jamie McBain were pleasant surprises last season, as they ranked third and sixth on the team in points with 24 and 18 points respectively. Look for Davies and McBain to take on even larger roles on the team this year.
Wisconsin will also welcome a total of eight freshmen to the team, including forward Kyle Turris, a native of New Westminster, B.C.
Turris was recently named the RBC Financial Group Canadian Junior A Player of the Year for the Canadian Junior A Hockey League's (CJAHL) BCHL Burnaby Express.
The 17-year-old Turris scored a league-high 66 goals for the Express in 2006-'07, and was one of only three players to score 50 goals. Turris was also 15 goals ahead of the next closest skater. Turris' 121 points were good for second in the league, seven points behind the BCHL scoring title, and his 19-game point-scoring streak was a league-high.
