Well, the Badgers are now 0-4.
No, I’m not talking about the football team’s embarrassing start to their Big Ten schedule. I’m referring to the men’s hockey team, who — after getting swept in Denver to start the WCHA season — is now winless after two weekends.
It hasn’t been pretty so far for Mike Eaves and Co. In all honesty, they should be sitting at 2-2 right now. But they let the season opener against Boston College and Friday night’s tilt against the Pioneers slip away — blowing a three-goal lead in the latter.
In the process of skating to a 0-4 start, Wisconsin has allowed a total of 23 goals: five in each of the first two contests against BC and New Hampshire and six and seven, respectively, in the Denver series.
For a defense that boasts five players drafted in the first or second round of the NHL draft, this is a bit surprising.
When I asked coach Eaves after the opening weekend if he found it disheartening that his highly-touted defensive corps had surrendered 10 goals in two games, he pointed to two factors — youth and the talent level his team was facing in BC and UNH.
“It’s a combination of we had three freshmen defensemen in the lineup Friday (and we were) playing against the No. 1 team in the country,” Eaves said. “So you know, we were kind of worried about that.”
The players, when asked the same question, gave essentially the same response.
“Obviously, experience is huge,” said sophomore defenseman Ryan McDonagh, who admitted he sensed a bit of nervousness in his roommate Jake Gardiner during the opening series.
But it was goaltender Shane Connelly who hit the nail on the head when talking about the young defensemen playing in front of him.
“They’re not getting eased in with exhibition games or anything like that,” Connelly said.
Bingo.
Last season, Wisconsin opened its schedule with a road trip against Notre Dame and Ohio State. Coming home with a 1-1 record after the first weekend, they then hosted Robert Morris.
Even the most casual hockey fan can tell you Robert Morris is not a college hockey powerhouse.
What that series against the Colonials did was not only give the Badgers a pair of convincing wins, but it also allowed the young guns on the team a chance to get their feet wet before hitting the ice in WCHA play. This year, however, there has been no transition process. After facing No. 1 BC and then-No. 7 UNH, UW had to take on No. 4 Denver.
Based on the results of this weekend, it looks like they could have used a cupcake or two to feast on first.
Just as college football has the six-win rule for teams hoping to become bowl eligible, college hockey teams must have a record of .500 or better in order to make the postseason tournament.
Starting at 0-4, Wisconsin now has a hole to dig itself out of to even out its record. They’ll have to make up at least four games somewhere along the way. And in the WCHA conference, that’s not an easy task — especially as they next host Minnesota and then travel to North Dakota.
Unlike the football team, though, Eaves’ group has plenty of games left in the season to right the ship.
It won’t be until December when the Badgers will play their next “easy” non-conference games. Alabama-Huntsville, Harvard, Lake Superior State and Northern Michigan all come to the Kohl Center in a few-week stretch late as the calendar turns to 2009.
This stretch of the schedule should be the one that gives UW a handful of wins, much like the way the football team scheduled Cal-Poly for an easy victory.
Wait, on second thought…
Tyler is a senior majoring in journalism. He can be heard talking about college hockey on WSUM Mondays from 4-5. Tune in or e-mail him at [email protected] to discuss the Badgers’ season.
