After struggling to put up points most of the season, forward John Eichelberger had something of a breakout series against Notre Dame. The senior, who had tallied four goals and 28 points over three and a half seasons at Wisconsin, posted two goals and an assist over the weekend. He was a part of every goal the Badgers scored.

Buried on the bench for most of this season, much of Eichelberger’s sudden success can be attributed to a line switch. Head coach Mike Eaves decided early in the week that Eichelberger would join his top line, serving as a nice complement to Badgers’ leading scorers Rene Bourque and Ryan MacMurchy. Eichelberger, a prolific scorer before college, says the move has given him new confidence.

“Earlier in the week, Coach sat me down and told me that I was going to get a chance to play and not worry about making mistakes,” Eichelberger said. “That gives you a lot of confidence,” Eichelberger said.

Eaves, who has struggled to find scoring of late, seems to have at least shored up his top line, though further changes should be expected as Wisconsin searches for the best possible combinations.

On his way back to Madison Friday night, Eaves found himself at the mercy of Mother Nature. The ice storm that hit Madison had roads in sorry states, and the Badgers’ head coach had to stop in Rockford.

“That’s something you can’t really mess with,” Eaves said.

Eaves got a call warning him to pull over thanks to an unlikely source. It seems the Fighting Irish’s bus had gotten stuck about an hour ahead of Eaves. Notre Dame would not make it to Madison until four in the morning, turning a trip that normally takes five hours into an exhausting nine-hour marathon.

The Irish skipped their morning skate, and despite looking slow early in both games, managed a win and a tie.

Early in the season, the Minnesota Golden Gophers left Madison on their heels. Ranked No. 1 in preseason polls, head coach Don Lucia’s team had disappointed out of the gate with a 2-7-1 record. Since that point, the two-time defending national champions have been nearly perfect. Minnesota has worked its way back up to number five in the latest USCHO national rankings. A current nine-game unbeaten streak brings Minnesota’s overall record to 13-8-3. They have only one loss since Nov. 15.

Special teams hurt Badgers

The Badgers’ struggles against Notre Dame can largely be attributed to their problematic special teams play. Discounting Notre Dame’s empty-netter at the end of Sunday’s contest, three of the four goals netted against the Badgers over the weekend came on the Irish’s power play. The Badgers, meanwhile, played anemically when up a man, unable to convert on six opportunities Sunday.

Badgers struggle in clutch

During its 15-game unbeaten streak, it seemed the Badgers could not help but convert in the clutch.

“The biggest thing different right now,” Eaves explained, “is the fact that we’re not getting that timely goal. It’s interesting to note — in thinking about it a lot last night in bed, looking up at the ceiling — that shot by [Badger sophomore Adam] Burish. When we played Minnesota, that shot went in; it hit the post and went in. Last night it hit the post and went out, so that’s the margin of victory at times.”

For the Badgers to get back on track, they will have to find a way to get their earlier clutch play back.

“We knew that we weren’t going to be an overly abundant goal-scoring team, and that we had to play solid defense for the most part,” Eaves said. “Even in the games this weekend, we were there and we gave ourselves a chance to win the games, and the timely goals just haven’t been there the last couple games.”