[media-credit name=’JAKE NAUGHTON/Herald photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]

In his press conference Monday, Wisconsin men?s hockey coach
Mike Eaves sang high praises of his team?s freshmen and their play against
rival Minnesota over the weekend.

?Realistically, I would say that our freshmen have done what
we thought they would do in terms of coming back from the break and not looking
like freshmen, in terms of them taking that next step,? Eaves said Monday. ?Now
can they do things by the end of the year? I would say ?yes? to that. We?ve just
got to not put any limits on them, continue to coach them.?

Despite their strong play as of late, however, Eaves still
mentioned that he and the coaching staff have needed to guide them through a
difficult stretch in the team?s schedule.

?Right now, we?re in a position where we still have to have
our hand on their lower back, for different reasons I think more so than
earlier in the year,? Eaves said. ?But it?s still always there.?

Eaves was particularly pleased with the play of freshman
Patrick Johnson ? a Madison native whom Eaves has been able to follow over the
years.

?I think with Patty Johnson, I know that people look at his
numbers and go, ?That?s a little bit surprising,?? Eaves said. ?Knowing Patrick
and having watched him since he was 15, I think ? there were some things you
saw that indicated that he was going to be a pretty good college hockey player.?

?He has stayed on that path and continues to grow. It?s fun
to watch.?

Johnson, the son of the Wisconsin women?s hockey head coach
Mark Johnson, scored the team?s first goal and earned an assist on the second
in the Badgers? 2-2 tie with the Gophers on Saturday. Johnson is now fourth on
the team in scoring, scoring six goals and tallying 11 assists through 26
games.

According to Eaves, Johnson?s strong play as of late can be
contributed to consistency.

?As he?s coming in the second half, I think we?re seeing a
level of consistency and confidence that we can now say he?s doing some pretty
good things for us.?

Another of the team?s freshman, Kyle Turris, has lived up to
the hype he garnered in the preseason, Eaves said.

?I would say that with Kyle, he?s doing about what we
expected,? Eaves said. ?All of our freshmen have turned that corner and are
doing some good things.?

Turris scored a goal and picked up an assist in Friday?s 3-1
win. He missed four games while playing for Canada in the World Junior
Championships in the Czech Republic, but still leads the team in scoring with
26 points, including 10 goals.

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Crucial stretch ahead

The difficult schedule Eaves alluded to in his press
conference has seen the Badgers on the road in Denver and Alaska in
back-to-back weekends. During the road stretch, Wisconsin lost a controversial
game in the opener against Denver, but rebounded with a convincing 7-2 win in
the series finale to earn a split. After being away from the Kohl Center for
two weeks, UW returned home to face Minnesota and will take on Minnesota-Duluth
this weekend. The Badgers and Bulldogs are currently tied for fourth in the
WCHA standings.

?We?re really into a grind in terms of our schedule ? being
gone, coming back, playing an emotional series against Minnesota, and now we?re
at home again against people that are right there with us.?

Despite selling out their home games, Wisconsin has
struggled on their own ice, picking up just two sweeps in seven series. Eaves
attributed his team?s struggles at the Kohl Center to the added pressures that
come with playing in front of their home fans.

?What the energy has to do with is the awe of playing in
this building,? Eaves said. ?We talked about how Denver likes to come in here.
They seem to feed off it. Some teams, they get back on their heels. I think for
the home team, there are expectations that are there. I think they feel some of
those expectations and the pressures of that.?