It’s hard to figure out where exactly things went wrong for the 2001-02 UW men’s hockey team.
Maybe it was the season-opening 5-4 loss to the sub-par Wayne State Warriors at the Kohl Center. Or perhaps it was the team’s failure to capitalize on three straight series against the WCHA basement-dwellers throughout November, where the Badgers went 2-3-1, including a game at Alaska-Anchorage where they only managed 12 shots on goal.
The seven-game winless streak that plagued them throughout the final weeks of the regular season probably didn’t help either; nor did competing with one of the toughest schedules in college hockey. Whatever the reason, the Badgers simply couldn’t put it together when it mattered this season.
This year, Wisconsin finished below .500 for only the fifth time in the modern era and tied the school record for fewest victories in conference play with 12. They failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament for the first time since the ’98-99 season and bowed out in the WCHA Final Five play-in game for the second time in as many years.
A lack of consistency tormented the Badgers throughout the season, as top-notch hockey one night was followed by lackluster play the next.
Wisconsin charged through the final weeks of January with a 3-2-1 record against the likes of Minnesota and St. Cloud State, only to compile a 1-6-1 mark in February.
The Badgers didn’t see many breaks go their way either, as hard-fought, well-played games gave way to disappointing results and frustrating defeats. An agonizing last-second loss to first-place Denver was followed by a painful 4-3 overtime loss at third-ranked Minnesota the next week.
No single player or position was to blame for the mediocre hockey season; it just appeared that different parts of the team showed up on different nights.
“[It was like] a wheel falling off, a different one every night,” senior captain Andy Wheeler said. “Whether it was the defense, forwards not scoring or the goalies giving up weak goals, we just fell apart at the wrong times.”
Despite the frustrating episodes that characterized the 2001-02 Badger hockey season, there were plenty of glimpses of greatness throughout the year for UW hockey fans to enjoy.
–Dec. 8, the Badgers overcame a four-goal deficit in the third period to defeat the North Dakota Fighting Sioux 7-6 in overtime in front of a nearly sold-out Kohl Center.
–A few days after head coach Jeff Sauer announced his retirement, UW trounced hated rival Minnesota en route to an 8-3 victory over the third-ranked team in the nation.
–With a 4-1 victory over St. Cloud State Jan. 26, the Badgers completed a three-point weekend against the second-place team in the conference, earning Jeff Sauer his 650th career victory, a WCHA record.
–A bench-clearing, post-game brawl after a loss to Alaska-Anchorage made national headlines, earned Wisconsin a record number of penalty minutes and reminded those who witnessed it just why so many people love the sport of hockey.
–Legendary coach Jeff Sauer coached his final game at the Kohl Center with a 7-3 victory over Minnesota State, sending the Badgers to the Final Five for the 13th time in his era, concluding his 20-year tenure at UW.
A fifth place finish in the WCHA for the Badgers probably defied many of the preseason predictions made by experts, and the future of the program appears bright.
The recent signing of new head coach Mike Eaves should spark a new sense of energy in the program and the return of three of UW’s top five goal scorers should increase the offensive production in the coming season.
The Eaves signing, coupled with the return of its two top goaltenders, means the 2002-03 Badger hockey team could pose a serious threat to any team in the WCHA.
