SPORTS
UW looks to gain WCHA ground
Looking for a print version?
Simply choose ‘Print’ on your computer and a printer-friendly document will be generated.
Also by Ben Solochek:
- Home 'Field' advantage (November 30, 2007)
- Salow matures, sees role expand for Wisconsin (November 15, 2007)
- Wisconsin survives, wins another 5 game match (November 12, 2007)
- UW to host IU, UM (November 7, 2007)
- Wisconsin splits weekend set (November 5, 2007)
Related Stories:
- Week off for Wisconsin means additional preparation (October 30, 2007)
- Intensity paying off for men's hockey team (November 1, 2005)
- Wisconsin squares off with rival North Dakota (November 4, 2005)
- UND brings heated rivalry to town (November 9, 2007)
- Banner day: UW hockey celebrates '06 title (October 13, 2006)
by Ben Solochek
Tuesday, December 5, 2006
In preparing for a pair of crucial games this weekend against WCHA foe North Dakota, University of Wisconsin men's hockey coach Mike Eaves is adding a little competition into this week's practice to fire up his team and prepare them for the game.
"I think the guys worked really hard," Eaves said. "I think once they realized that this wasn't going to be a slack week and that we were going to press forward, we got a lot out of them. I think they enjoyed the week, in terms of the competitiveness that we had within the team. The days and the practices go by quicker due to the fact that they were so competitive.
"They worked hard and I knew that they felt good about themselves."
The Badgers are going to need to get fired up for this weekend in order to end their season-long slide. North Dakota is tied for fourth in the WCHA with Denver, posting an overall record of 7-6-1 and going 5-4-1 in conference play.
Burrowing out
The Badgers have dug themselves into a pretty deep hole this year. They are 1-4-0 in their last five games and have only posted a 2-8-0 record in their last 10.
Eaves admitted that, although the defending champion Badgers need to turn their fortunes around, their success in the conference also depends on how the conference leaders do.
"It depends on what the other teams do," Eaves said. "If we can do our part and other teams win some and lose some … that will determine how deep of a hole it is. Right now, our focus has to be getting some points every weekend. That becomes our focus. If we can do that, it can give us a chance to be back in the battle. How far we crawl up will be determined on how well everyone else does."
Currently, Wisconsin is in eighth place in the WCHA, with seven points. They are 10 points behind division leader Minnesota. If the Badgers can sweep the 10th ranked Sioux, then they have a chance to get right back into the mix of the division race.
Team depth
The youth of this year's team is starting to show, especially compared to the veteran team of a year ago. With the losses of sophomore Jack Skille, junior Kyle Klubertanz, and senior Ross Carlson early in the season, the Badgers have had to turn to the inexperienced, younger members of their team. This has meant that there has been some switching of lineups and starting different players.
"Right now we are still experimenting a little bit, trying to find guys and see what guys can do in this club," Eaves said.
As of last weekend, there are only seven players on the 25-man roster who have played in all 16 games. By moving different players in and out of games, Eaves is trying to find the right guys to fill in the holes that have been created by injuries and the loss of last year's seniors.
Ice rage
In their last series against North Dakota, which took place at the Kohl Center, the Badgers lost three different skaters to injuries, which added to the depth problems that the team has been experiencing. The biggest loss was forward Jack Skille, who missed 11 games due to his injury.
The fact that there so many injuries during the game raised the question of whether the Badgers would be out for revenge.
"The idea [of revenge] never entered my mind," Eaves said. "When you play North Dakota, you know its going to be a physical series. All three of those hits were a byproduct of playing hard. There was no viciousness; there was just good, hard hockey."
The Badgers have already seen results from the players who were lost temporarily to injury. In his first game back against Michigan, Skille scored a short-handed goal. Klubertanz has also been able to add some experience and some depth into the defense since his return.
