The Wisconsin men's hockey team will play Minnesota State in the quarterfinals of the WCHA Final Five on Thursday at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
Head coach Mike Eaves discussed his team's upcoming opponent at his Monday press conference, lauding the team's coaching, play-hard mentality, and freshman goaltender Stephon Williams.
“They've had a revitalized kind of season for themselves, freshman goalie comes in, plays great, new coach, new system,” Eaves said. “They buy into it. They have success.”
Eaves also took time to look back at the Badgers' uphill season, which started 1-7-2.
“It was really hard. There's no way getting around it. And as the head coach, you try to say the right things. And you try to maneuver your way through all the negativity that's out there. But eventually something good has to happen in order for that to turn around.“
The turbulent start was described as a growing experience by Eaves, leading him to commend the team's mental toughness and admit the team would probably not be preparing for the Final Five if it weren't for the lessons they learned from their slow start.
“The building will be packed," he said. "We'll be right in the eye of the storm. And the way you're treated, the level of play, it's all what you do all that summer work for, all the stuff that you put up all year, all the injuries, [it's to] have a chance to be on the stage.”
