When the Wisconsin men’s hockey team (6-2-2) took on the cross-state rival Minnesota Gophers (5-4-1) this past weekend, it was no surprise to see the level of physicality present at the Mariucci Arena.
When head coach Mike Eaves reviewed the stats from the series, one category in particular stood out.
“It was probably the most intense game I’ve seen in a while. By our hits, we had over 80 hits in that game,” Eaves said at Monday’s press conference.
The entertaining 80-hit game on Saturday was due to the Gophers trying to redeem themselves from the night before, according to Eaves. Wisconsin outscored their opponent 6-0 on Friday night, but the Gophers showed up on Saturday ready to fight, starting the game with a 2-0 lead.
But the resiliency of Wisconsin, a predominantly young team, allowed them to bounce back from the deficit on Saturday to end the game with a 3-3 overtime tie, which says a lot about the character of Eaves’ players.
“Obviously it says good things,” Eaves said. “We started the game off pretty well, were doing some good things. And then for about an almost five-minute stretch we were doing uncharacteristic things.
“What was nice is that they settled down and got the goal back, to get back late in the game…We fought tooth and nail not to give anything up, and as a result it was a most entertaining game.”
Murray, Bennett impress
During a Badger power play Saturday, Wisconsin settled down when senior goaltender Brett Bennett was able to pass the puck up to the far blue line to freshman Mark Zengerle while Minnesota was in a line change. Zengerle then passed it to Justin Schultz, who was able to record Wisconsin’s first goal.
To have a goalie who can begin the offense in the back end is hard to come by and Eaves was impressed with Bennett’s ability to handle the puck.
“Well it’s one of his strengths,” Eaves notes of Bennett’s play-making ability. “He’s got two assists this year already. That doesn’t surprise us because he can really snap the puck around. It can assist you when you’re coming out of your zone. It’s like having three defensemen back there, as opposed to two, when he can step up and make that long pass to give you a little bit of a flair offensively.”
Junior Jordy Murray was able to fire two pucks into the net in Saturday’s game. In his first goal of the night, Murray was able to recover Schultz’s shot that hit the post and score, bringing the Badgers to a 2-2 tie. Murray’s second goal of the night came with less than three minutes of play, as he continued to fight in front of the net and got the puck past Minnesota goaltender Alex Kangas, sending the game into overtime.
“I think it’s partially who Jordy is,” Eaves says of Jordy’s aggressive play near the net. “Jordy is a hard working type of forward not afraid to stick his nose in areas that you wouldn’t normally find a younger guy.”
Same intensity, different opponent
The No. 13 Wisconsin men’s hockey team returns to home ice at the Kohl Center this weekend, taking on the No. 10 Fighting Sioux of North Dakota (5-4-1), for what Eaves calls a heated but respectful rivalry.
Eaves expects this weekend’s series to bring the same physical, competitive play that was present this past weekend against Minnesota.
“Most games that we play against North Dakota are like the type of game we played Saturday night against the Gophers: it’s going to be physical. They are all about taking time and space away, as a lot of good teams, and as we try to play,” Eaves said. “I know that if I’m a hockey fan out there, I would want to get in and see these two games.”