Sports: Men's Hockey

Freshmen contribute under radar

Gardner, Stepan make subtle impact, continue to learn from upperclassmen

Youth can often be both a blessing and a curse.

From starting the season 0-6-1 to finishing the first semester with a 12-9-3 record, streakiness has been a major theme this season for the men’s hockey team. And what group is streakier than freshmen in college athletics?

“They have all shown flashes,” head coach Mike Eaves said. “We have seen great things from every one of them, and we have also seen mistakes that freshmen are prone to make.”

Although the statistics from this year’s freshmen class don’t jump off the page, one quality seems to define this group more than any other.

“They work their butts off,” junior captain Blake Geoffrion said. “All of them have bought in, and you can see it on and off the ice. Jake, [Stepan], Thurber, I mean just all of them fit in with this team. Even when they aren’t in the lineup, they are still working hard.”

Unlike last year’s freshmen — highlighted by No. 3 overall draft pick Kyle Turris — no one player this year has established himself above the rest of his teammates. With the team ranked second in the WCHA, however, that might not be such a bad thing.

“They kind of fit our whole team,” Geoffrion said. “We don’t have that one dominant scorer, and though a player like Turris is always good, I would rather have tough players than flashy.”

“On our team, there is very little difference between our first and our fourth line,” Eaves added. “The freshmen are like that too. Each player brings something to the table, and they have been scoring and contributing like that all season long.”

Lately, freshmen forward Derek Stepan has led the Badgers’ most recent class. With nine points in his last six games, Stepan is second only to Jamie McBain for the team lead in points.

“I think it just has to do with confidence, and connecting with my linemates,” Stepan said. “The more you play on your line, the more comfortable you become, and lately, you know, it has worked out for me.”

According to Stepan, the biggest challenge for the freshmen has been adjusting to the physicality and the speed of the WCHA.

“Everything is so much faster,” Stepan said. “You can be playing anyone from 18 to 24 years old, and they have played this way for a couple years. Coach has talked about how over the off season we will need to work on getting stronger.”

When asked about the possibility for some of the freshmen hitting the “rookie wall,” both Eaves and Geoffrion dismissed the possibility.

“No, that has not been my experience,” Eaves said. “If anything, they get stronger as the season progresses because they are so excited to be playing hockey, and they are learning the game more and more.”

“Hockey is different than other sports in that respect,” Geoffrion said. “These guys are all conditioned and coach knows how hard to push us in practice, so wearing down or hitting a wall shouldn’t be a problem.”

Although Geoffrion said he was happy with the freshmen’s contributions in the first semester, he is even more excited for what they are capable of in the second semester.

“Experience is the biggest thing for improving,” Geoffrion said. “In the beginning you aren’t always sure of where you should be or what you should be doing. But you just keep learning, and that is how they get better.”

For Stepan, learning from the upperclassmen is the biggest way to improve.

“The older leaders on this team have been great,” Stepan said. “As long as we work with them, we can continue to have success. Hopefully, the freshmen can just continue to contribute and help this team get better and better.”