Heading into the two-week winter break, the No. 9 Wisconsin men's hockey team was searching for the consistency that would push them to the next level, especially from their core of younger, inexperienced players.
Before the break. Head coach Mike Eaves said that he believed his young roster would benefit from a half season of experience. Eaves hoped that his players would come back older, wiser and better hockey players.
The Badgers' start of the second half of their season validated their coach's thought, sweeping both Massachusetts and Canisius College to extend the program's longest winning streak since 2005-'06 to seven games, before returning to WCHA play and earning a split in Duluth.
Sophomore John Ramage has been a key contributor on the blue line all year, but for their series with Massachusetts, the Badgers had to find a way to win without him, as Ramage was busy representing the United States in the World Junior Championships in Buffalo, N.Y. In his absence Wisconsin saw one of their freshman players, defenseman Frankie Simonelli, step up to help fill the void.
In the series opener, Simonelli netted a goal and two assists in the 5-1 win. The next night he added another assist in the 4-2 victory to give himself four points on the weekend.
Simonelli wasn't the only young gun getting it done against the Minutemen; freshman forward Michael Mersch had three assists of his own on the weekend, and Tyler Barnes had two assists.
When Atlantic Hockey foe Canisius College paid a visit to the Kohl Center, this season's top scorers brought their ""A"" games to help sweep the Golden Griffins in the first meeting ever between the two programs.
With last year's Hobey Baker winner, former Badger forward Blake Geoffrion, on hand for the first game between the teams, this year's high scoring Badgers let last year's captain know that the offense was in good hands.
The top three goal scorers on the team, sophomore defenseman Justin Schultz, forward Craig Smith and junior forward Jordy Murray, each scored a goal to help back up senior goaltender Scott Gudmandson's fourth shutout of the season in a 3-0 victory.
A wild series conclusion the next night helped the Badgers end a long running streak.
The fans in attendance that night could not have expected the offensive explosion that would ensue. The Badgers and Griffins traded goals all night. When the buzzer sounded the scoreboard read 5-5, and the two teams would head to overtime.
With eight seconds left in OT, Schultz found the back of the net for the second time that weekend giving the Badgers their first overtime victory since a 3-2 extra time win over St. Cloud State in the 2007 WCHA Final Five. Wisconsin went 0-18-8 in overtime games during the streak.
Smith had a five-point weekend (3G, 2A) to earn WCHA Player of the Week.
To close out their winter break series, Wisconsin traveled to Duluth to try and avenge the series sweep the WCHA-leading Bulldogs handed the Badgers at the Kohl Center in November.
The first game of the series was more of the same as the No. 3 Bulldogs outplayed a flu-stricken Badgers team, ending the seven game win streak, shutting out Wisconsin with a 2-0 defeat, a loss that wasn't as close as the score would indicate.
The Badgers were able to bounce back the next night, taking a valuable two points to split the series in Duluth. Wisconsin jumped out to an early three-goal lead thanks to Schultz's team leading fourteenth goal of the year as well as goals from senior Podge Turnbull and Craig Smith. However, the Badgers had to hold off a furious Bulldog rally to close out the 3-2 victory, and a good start to the second half of the year.
Eaves hoped that the second half of this season would serve as a springboard for his team to take their play to the next level. After a start that saw them win five out of six games, Eaves has to be excited about where the team is heading. If they can play with the same consistency they showed in the three series, we could be looking at a team that can do some serious damage in the WCHA from here on out.
