Earlier this season, Ben Street, a junior forward on the Badgers men's hockey team, was asked about an impressive run he was having on the ice. The Badgers had just defeated No. 3 North Dakota, and Street, an assistant captain, had stretched his scoring streak to eight games in a row.
Was this more a matter of skill on Street's part, or just pure happenstance?
Probably a little bit of both,"" he said of the eight-game span, the longest posted by a Badger since Joe Pavelski scored in 12 straight games two seasons ago. ""The opportunities have been there ... I'm seeing the puck, I'm finding the areas that have the holes, and the bounces are coming right now.""
In reality, though, Street's style of play had more to do with it than anything else, according to his teammates and coaches. They speak of a player who is one of the most consistent on the team, one of the most talented, and, thus, one of the more appropriate players to put up impressive statistics for the No. 13 Badgers.
""On the ice, he's really strong, wins battles along the boards, and works the boards really well,"" said freshman Kyle Turris, who has played alongside Street on the first line this year. ""He has a really good shot, he's a good skater, he's as strong as a horse. All around, he's a great player.""
""I think we have some good chemistry,"" added Turris, the team's leader in points through 12 games this year. ""He's a great player so he's easy to play with. We just go out and have some fun.""
As adept as he is when he's skating for the Badgers - he leads the team in both goals and shots, and is sixth in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association in scoring - Street gets just as rave reviews for his conduct off the ice. It's not uncommon to hear Street referred to as a ""character"" guy.
""I think he ends up being on the score sheet - he showed that last year and now he's showing it again this year, the ability to do that,"" assistant coach Mark Osiecki said. ""But the best thing about Ben is his personality and his characteristics. You can't say enough good things about him. School-wise, you never have to worry about it. He's really focused that way.
""Away from hockey he really takes care of that and knows where he's going, and that leads right into hockey and the things he needs to work on. I think he would probably say he wants to play in the NHL at some point. He's a very focused kid. It's nice to have kids that are low-maintenance.""
Currently in his third year as a Badger, Street is a player who knows how to accomplish goals at the college hockey level. Even as a freshman, he played a substantial role on the national championship team, skating in all 43 games and scoring 10 goals.
But this is his first year as one of the team's stand-out players, and he is willing to assume the responsibility that goes with that status. So far it's been an up-and-down season for the Badgers, but a relatively consistent one for Street.
""I knew I was going to be in a larger role,"" he said, talking about this season. ""The last couple of years I've been in the second and third-line situation. This year I knew I'd be one of the go-to guys.""
With his team sitting down in eighth place in the conference, but a long season ahead, he's ""not thrilled with the way things are, but I'm not totally disappointed either.
