The way this season has gone for the Wisconsin men’s hockey team, it seems almost fitting that the Badgers’ best weekend of the year should come with an asterisk.

The team persevered in the face of the public airing of head coach Mike Eaves’ and sophomore center Alex Leavitt’s dirty laundry; it also battled back from deficits both Friday and Saturday night to post three points in its two-game set against the visiting Saint Cloud State Huskies.

Unfortunately, the story didn’t end with UW’s stirring, come-from-behind 4-3 victory Saturday night, but rather with the arrest of senior captain Brad Winchester early Sunday morning outside the Kollege Klub bar on charges of battery of a police officer and disorderly conduct.

With details about the incident still filtering in, and with Eaves out of town until Wednesday, the team is biding its time before deciding whether or not to take any action in the matter.

“We’re in support of Brad in that situation because of his character and who we believe that he is,” assistant coach Troy Ward said “But at the same time, we’re open-minded to let us find out more from the police and from their situation and their accounts, and certainly to spend some time with Brad.”

In the meantime, Ward said, the coaching staff’s hands are pretty much tied.

“To get all parties involved with how we’re moving forward right now has to be done by way of phone calls,” Ward explained. “I know that’s taking place behind the scenes, but I don’t know when that decision will be rendered.”

The irony is that Winchester’s altercation and subsequent arrest have attracted the attention that should have gone to the poise and leadership the captain displayed against Saint Cloud State.

Ward lavished praise on Winchester as well as assistant captain Brian Fahey, a senior defenseman, for their roles in rallying the team after the early-season confrontation between Eaves and Leavitt became public.

“It was probably the best weekend of leadership we’ve had out of [Fahey] and [Winchester] all year,” Ward said. “They were a big part of helping keep this in check.”

The entire team helped keep the Huskies in check, playing six consecutive focused, physical periods for the first time all year.

“This weekend was probably the best physical performance that we’ve had out of this hockey team, back-to-back, all year,” Ward said.

The coaches put the emphasis on shorter, more explosive shifts, with decidedly positive results.

“I think the guys finally realized that [playing physically] does make a difference, if we can do this,” Ward said.

With more of the same this weekend against Michigan Tech, which leads Wisconsin by only a point in the WCHA standings, UW could leapfrog the Huskies (Michigan Tech, not Saint Cloud State) and jump into eighth place in the conference.

In order to do that, the team will have to make sure its leader’s scrap off the ice doesn’t distract them from continuing their tough play on it.

Ward hopes it won’t be an issue.

“You have to understand that, as a college coach, you’re going to have to deal with these things,” Ward said. “I’m sure I speak on behalf of all coaches … It’s not something that you always want to deal with, especially [considering] the weekend that we had, but it is what it is.”

In the end, Ward said, “It’s something that’s outside our control, and what we can control is our performance today on the ice [at practice], and every day this week.”

And, after all, it’s not like this is the first challenge the team has faced this season.