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Friday, March 29, 2024
Rumpel

Joel Rumpel appears to have taken command of the crease for the Badgers, winning four games over winter break.

Men's Hockey: Schultz, Rumpel leading the way for improving Wisconsin team

We’ve all heard the expression that Rome wasn’t built in a day. Good things tend to take time. With an inexperienced roster, that has been the mindset for the Wisconsin men’s hockey team (7-9-2 WCHA, 12-10-2 overall) this season.

The Badgers have had to learn on the fly this season, which is not an enviable task in the perpetually rigorous WCHA. But a string of solid performances over winter break yielded signs of progress for this young Wisconsin roster.

In series against RIT, Minnesota State-Mankato and Alaska-Anchorage, Wisconsin boasted a 5-1 record—as well as an exhibition win over the U.S. Under-18 team—while UW students were enjoying their time off, and head coach Mike Eaves liked what we saw from his team.

“In all facets of our game [we’re improving],” Eaves said. “We watch video and we’re connecting dots, understanding systems better, winning more one on one battles, doing things that we’ve been trying to improve in practice and we’re seeing results in the games now.”

One player who has been an integral part of the Badgers’ recent success is junior defenseman Justin Schultz. The West Kelowna, British Colombia native had three goals and six assists in Wisconsin’s six games over break.

Schultz has had himself quite the year, putting up number that will surely garner him consideration for the Hobey Baker at the end of the season. His 37 points on the year (12 goals, 25 assists) make him the nation’s highest scoring defenseman by a wide margin (the closest is Minnesota’s Nate Schmidt, who has 26 points) and the fifth highest scoring player regardless of position.

Eaves said that Schultz has helped lead the way for Wisconsin’s young players this year, and that his actions have spoken volumes in the locker room.

“He teaches without even saying anything, and I think in games his hard work and his ability to play at a high level, it’s the cornerstone of the success that we’ve had this year,” Eaves said of Schultz. “To have a player like that, with the skill and the work ethic, he becomes your ultimate teacher […] and he’s not the most verbal guy but his actions speak very clearly.”

While Schultz’s example has helped Wisconsin along its growth curve, the play of freshman goaltender Joel Rumpel has been emblematic of the team itself.

Rumpel came into this season with zero games of college hockey experience, and like the Badgers as a whole, was forced into a trial by fire to start the season. It seems now that Rumpel has settled in nicely as he has grabbed the reins between the pipes for Wisconsin.

Over break Rumpel went 4-1 as the starting netminder with a .964 save percentage and a 1.00 goals against average and registered his first two career shutouts against Mankato and Anchorage. On the season, Rumpel is 9-5-2 with a 2.44 GAA and a .920 SV%, and Eaves said he is impressed with the growth he has seen from his young goaltender this season.

“In his position he’s gotten better at moving the puck, he’s gotten better at his rebound control,” Eaves said of Rumpel. “He’s raised his level of intensity in terms of detail work to his areas as a goaltender and as a result it’s helped him get better numbers.”

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Eaves added that Rumpel’s improved play is also a testament to the growth and improvement that Eaves has seen from the team as a whole.

“Our team in front of [Rumpel] is better because we’re older and we’ve been working our play away from the puck, which is ultimately going to help him because we’re going to give up fewer scoring chances and fewer shots,” Eaves said. “So, the combination of those things are helping us see what we’re getting right now from Joel.”

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