Few associate competing in track with playing hockey. Shoes are traded for skates and track, hopefully, involves little or no contact.
Wisconsin men's hockey coach Mike Eaves, however, hopes to take some lessons from running the 400-meter dash in his younger days and apply them to his team as they go into a series with Minnesota-Duluth. He hopes the team can improve in carrying energy from the first period into the second.
You come out of the blocks, you want to get to a great start. That's what we've always talked about,"" Eaves said. ""Going down the back stretch, you want to stride it out and keep the rhythm. And then coming home you open it up and finish strong.""
Last weekend against Michigan Tech the Badgers scored three first period goals and took home two wins.
In Duluth, the Badgers will face a team which ranks third in the WCHA in goals allowed with 2.60 per game. That defense starts with junior netminder Alex Stalock, who was drafted by the NHL's San Jose Sharks.
""He plays the puck pretty well, he's got a really good shot for a goalie, he's actually got a bomb for a shot with a regular stick too,"" junior Blake Geoffrion said. ""I know he can play the puck well. We've been aware of that and we should try to keep the puck away from him as much as possible and be aware of that for sure.""
Stalock tends to leave the crease to play the puck more than most goaltenders, and can put pressure on defenseman by sending breakout passes up ice.
The defensemen for Wisconsin have been warned to change some of their tactics in anticipation of Stalock's mobility.
""If he's coming out to play it, maybe that farthest defenseman away from the boards can't change right away because the goalie himself might be able to just throw it up to the boards,"" sophomore defenseman Ryan McDonagh said. ""They could have a breakaway if we were changing on him.""
The Duluth offense however lacks scoring punch, as they do not have a single player in the top-30 point scorers in the conference. Senior center MacGregor Sharp and sophomore winger Justin Fontaine share the team lead with 11 points and five goals each.
Another quirk of Duluth's arena, the DECC, is that it is the smallest rink in the conference. Geoffrion felt that the team would get used to the change quickly and noted that Wisconsin's first win this season came on a smaller rink in North Dakota.
The Badgers this season have been led offensively by their defensemen, Geoffrion and their powerplay. McDonagh, junior defenseman Jamie McBain and sophomore defenseman Brendan Smith are the top three scorers on the team.
The Badger powerplay is converting more than 25 percent of the time and owes much of its success to a simple plan and the execution by players like Geoffrion, Smith and McBain.
The Wisconsin man advantage has found its groove with defensemen firing long slapshots from the points, and forwards like Geoffrion screening goaltenders and tipping shots in front of the net.
""It's a real simple play but teams are starting to pressure now and they're leaving guys open and just the guy that's gonna be open is the guy in front of the net,"" Geoffrion, who leads the WCHA with four powerplay goals, said.
""Guys have been getting their shots through. They seem to be going off of me, so it's getting kind of lucky but it's good for us.""
The teams split their last two series and played to a 0-0 tie the last time they met in Duluth.
The puck drops at 7 p.m. both Friday and Saturday. The games will not be televised but can be viewed online for a fee.
