For the Badger men's hockey team, the 2005-06 campaign starts here in Madison Friday night against St. Lawrence. While a University of Wisconsin team will rarely admit to looking forward past its upcoming game, the Badgers hope to finish their season in a different Wisconsin city — Milwaukee.
Though still months away, the Badgers will host the NCAA Frozen Four in Milwaukee on April 6 and 8, and if everything falls their way, the host school may win the tournament for the first time since 2002.
"That's what the guys [talked] about all summer in the weight room. That's our goal and that's where we want to be," senior captain Adam Burish said. "We want to put that pressure on ourselves and we're excited to put [it] on ourselves. We feel like we have to get there this year."
The Badgers are looking to build off a successful, yet disappointing season a year ago. A 23-14-4 record looks good on paper, especially when one considers the harsh schedule that goes along with playing in the WCHA.
But the season could have been better. Wisconsin started out the year 20-6-1, climbing to the top of national polls before fizzling. The team went just 3-8-3 down the stretch, but still managed to make their second straight NCAA tournament appearance.
"I think the biggest thing is that the younger guys have taken that step," Burish said. "The junior class especially has taken that step where now they feel like they're leaders and now they feel like they have the responsibility to lead the younger guys."
The key factor in the Badgers' road to the postseason will be junior goalie Brian Elliott. Elliott has big shoes to fill after the graduation of Bernd Bruckler, who etched his name in the school record books in his four years on the team.
"I think I've been ready the whole time," Elliott said. "You obviously want to get out there and play as many games as you can. I've been working hard and I definitely feel like I'm ready to step in as the number one guy."
The team built an immense confidence in Bruckler, who allowed the young Badgers to forget mistakes. Surprisingly, the team has just as much, if not more confidence in Elliott going into the season.
"I think he'll be the surprise of the team," Burish said. "The guys on the team believe he can bring us to the Frozen Four. He has that ability and he's going to be a special goalie here at Wisconsin."
Elliott went 6-2-1 with a 1.16 goals against average and a .945 save percentage, starting in eight of the nine games he played. However, he has yet to face the likes of WCHA power houses North Dakota, Minnesota or Denver.
"That's what I'm really looking forward to … playing those guys, going into their barns and stealing some points from them," Elliott said.
Solidifying the defense: Junior assistant captain Tom Gilbert took over on defense down the stretch last season, proving to be one of the team's most valuable assets. In fact, after asking the coaching staff for more ice time and making the most of it, he was voted by his teammates as the Badgers' Most Valuable Player.
The Bloomington, Minn., native tallied 17 points for Wisconsin last season and garnered third-team all-WCHA honors at the end of the year.
"As soon as they started [giving him more ice time], that's when he started really playing like he did," Burish said. "As soon as they started doing that, that's when he started really playing like he did. He thrives off that pressure."
Gilbert will be back in top form, leading the blue-liners once again. However, the Badgers will be banking on the fact that the extra year in their belts and a full summer of hard work has paid off for their young defensemen.
"If you look at [national champion] Denver the last two years, they've had great experience, guys who have been there before," Gilbert said. "All of us have a lot of experience now. We're going to keep pushing and see how far we can go."
Junior defenseman Jeff Likens said he thinks the most important summer for the players is the one preceding their sophomore year. He saw the young blue-liners improve over the season, but pointed out one in particular.
"One guy who I noticed in particular that I noticed was [sophomore] Davis Drewiske," Likens said. "He worked really hard this summer, in his running, his lifting … everything that he did. He really put in a little [more] extra effort than most of the guys on the squad. His improvement off the ice has shown on the ice too."
Offense also makes strides: The Badgers will have plenty of veteran leadership on offense. In fact, 97.7 percent of the team's scoring returns this season.
Perhaps the most exciting part of last season was watching the growing connection between Robbie Earl and Joe Pavelski. Earl led the team with 20 goals and the two were the first pair of 40-point scorers on a Badger team since the 1999-2000 season.
"We hung out a little bit this summer. We've definitely got a little bit more trust this year coming in and we've got that year under our belt and that can only help," Pavelski said.
The veteran offense will also be joined by a talented group of freshmen including Jack Skille, the No. 7 overall pick in last summer's NHL Early Entry Draft. Joining him in the freshman class are forwards Ben Street and Tom Gorowsky and goalies Shane Connelly and Ryan Jeffery.
"I would imagine that Jack Skille's transition time would be shorter because last year he played 25 games, played against world class competition," Eaves said. "When I look at Shane Connelly, Ben Street and Tommy Gorowsky, we see some skills that they have. For them it's a question of how long their time of adjustment will be."
With solid veterans across the board and a confident new goalie, the Badgers appear poised to give Eaves his best year yet and they have as good a chance as any team to skate their way to Milwaukee come spring.
