When I was in ninth grade science class, one of our projects was to build a bottle rocket. Each group got a two-liter bottle, and the goal was to build the rocket that would fly the furthest. It was just one of those deals where you used an air compressor and water pressure to propel the thing, something you might have made with your dad as a kid.

You had complete freedom as far as how and with what else to construct the missile. We worked all week on the damn thing, and I wasn’t about to complain about wasting one period each day staring at a plastic bottle. When Friday came, we went out to the football practice field and got ready for launch. It was quite the colorful collection of mutilated Mountain Dew bottles, replete with cardboard fins and painted cones.

The great thing was, nobody knew what to expect once we started launching the rockets. Some went 20 feet, some went 50 feet, some just fell apart before hurdling towards the earth. But you didn’t know what to expect until you actually tested it out.

My group’s rocket was not a great success. We found out the hard way that duct tape lacks admirable aerodynamic qualities. It looked pretty cool though.

But no matter how flashy or slick something looks, it’s how it performs that matters. It didn’t matter that we spent an hour making the “Good Charlotte” logo out of lime green tape. We got a C because the rocket sucked when it came down to crunch time.

Here’s the point. The Wisconsin men’s hockey team has looked pretty good against Holy Cross and Alabama-Huntsville. But my intramural floor hockey team would look pretty good against Holy Cross and Alabama-Huntsville.

The Badgers scored 18 goals in their three games against those teams, allowing just two. The power play was clicking, connecting for seven goals this past weekend. UW’s first line looked dangerous offensively, and the defensemen didn’t make mistakes.

But as flashy as Mike Eaves’ squad looked last weekend, the Chargers don’t exactly pose a threat to the Badgers. The real measure of this young team begins Friday night in Denver.

The Pioneers are just 1-2-1 after being swept by Boston College last weekend, but still hold the No. 11 ranking in the USCHO.com poll. George Gwozdecky’s team is in the same boat as the Badgers, losing a lot of talent from last season’s squad. WCHA player of the year Marc Cheverie is no longer in goal for DU, and no slight to Blake Geoffrion, but forward Rhett Rakhshani might have been the most dangerous forward in the WCHA last year. DU lost four key cogs from that NCAA-tourney team.

UW is just 4-5-1 in its last 10 against DU and had a five-game losing streak to the Pioneers prior to the Badgers going 2-0-1 against them last season. Since 2002, UW is 9-21-3 against Denver. Wisconsin’s biggest nemesis during the most recent losing streak was Cheverie, though, so who knows what to expect now that the situation in goal is unsettled for Gwozdecky.

Still, a WCHA game is a WCHA game, and these are some crucial early-season points for Wisconsin. Going on the road to Denver’s small barn is never easy, and as much as UW reloaded on talent, DU did much the same. Center Beau Bennett is a first round pick and tied UW’s Mark Zengerle for the scoring title in the BCHL last season (41-79-120).

Of course, Zengerle’s winning that particular race this season. The freshman has benefited from playing on UW’s top line and on the power play and has seven points (1-6-7) already in four games this season. Bennett hasn’t registered a point yet.

This series could go a long way toward shaping how the first half of the season plays out for both teams. Denver took on the No. 1 team and got demolished, and is desperately in need of a pick-me-up. Wisconsin needs to find out just how good it is, and taking to the road to face a motivated Denver squad should be a good measuring stick of where the Badgers are at.

UW should come out with at least a win from the series, but a sweep would set them up nicely for a tough stretch to close out 2010. Early surprise team Michigan Tech has come out strong and might not be the perennial WCHA doormat anymore, which could be a trap series for UW at home over Halloween weekend. The next two series include a trip to border rival Minnesota and a visit from No. 2 North Dakota.

One thing football coach Bret Bielema and his squad took from the early part of the football season was dealing with adversity. This could be that chance for the ice Badgers, as they’ll get to handle a hostile crowd and a talented team.

At this juncture, it wouldn’t be surprising to see UW sweep or get swept. Whatever the result, it should go a long way toward indicating exactly what kind of team Eaves has on his hands.

At the very least, nothing’s being held together with duct tape.

Adam is a senior majoring in journalism. It looks like you all took in the moment on Saturday. Got any thoughts on the hockey team? Email him at [email protected] or follow him at @adamjsholt