When the puck drops for the first time this season for the UW men’s hockey team, the atmosphere at the Kohl Center will be all too familiar.

The aroma of fresh popcorn and hot pretzels will float through the air, a capacity crowd sporting the traditional cardinal and white apparel will be screaming obscenities at the opposing players, and head coach Jeff Sauer will be leading his Badgers onto the ice for another run at the national championship.

Not so familiar, however, will be the expectations that many college hockey analysts have labeled on the 2001-02 Badgers.

It’s been a while since the Badgers weren’t considered one of the favorites to win the WCHA, but this season appears to be one of those years.

With the loss of superstar Dany Heatley, along with a supporting cast of veterans, many people doubt that UW can keep up with teams such as Minnesota, Colorado College and North Dakota.

Despite the adversity placed upon this year’s team, Sauer and the rest of the Badgers remain confident in their abilities and are setting out to prove the critics wrong.

“It’s going to be a tough league this year,” Sauer commented. “But we’re right there with them. No one appreciates the depth our team has.”

Sauer attributes his positive outlook on the team to its experience at the forward position and potential on defense and in the goal.

“Our forwards are definitely the strength of our team,” Sauer explains. “We’ve also got talent on defense. They just need a little experience.”

Leading the team is captain Andy Wheeler, joined by assistant captains Matt Doman and Kent Davyduke.

The Badgers are returning nine seniors this season, all of whom will see quality playing time. UW is hoping the leadership of these experienced players can carry them through the early part of the season.

Senior center Matt Murray is the top returning goal scorer and will be united with Brad Winchester, Matt Hussey, David Hukalo, Rene Bourque and Davyduke to pick up the slack on offense.

“These six guys are going to have to increase their offensive production to make up for the loss of Heatley,” Sauer commented.

The battle for the goaltending job will be between junior Scott Kabatoff, who has only one start in his first two seasons, and freshman Bernd Bruckler, a fifth-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Flyers. Although Kabatoff will get the start Friday night versus Wayne State, both goalies will see action throughout the season.

“We’ll give them both a chance this season,” Sauer said. “We’ll see what happens as the year progresses.”

Even more challenging for the Badgers will be the first half of their regular season schedule. Eight of the team’s first 16 games are against teams that made it to the Frozen Four last season, with four of them against runner-up North Dakota.

Although it will prove to be a true test for the Badgers’ inexperienced defense and goaltending, Sauer remains optimistic about Wisconsin’s season.

“I’m not too worried,” Sauer explained. “You [have] got to play those teams somewhere along the line. We’ll be ready to go at them.”

But once the Badgers get passed their first tough competitors, it won’t get much easier. Almost half of the team’s regular season games will be played against teams currently ranked in the top five in the nation.

Although the preseason predictions have changed for the Badgers this season, their objective remains the same. They expect to be playing at the Kohl Center when the WCHA playoffs commence in March, and they expect to be playing for a championship come early April.

Sauer hopes that early success will provide the momentum necessary to carry this team into the post-season, silencing the preseason critics.

“A lot of people are underestimating us, and that’s okay,” Sauer said. “We know what we’re capable of doing, and that’s all that matters.”