Sitting atop the WCHA standings with a 23-1-3 record and a No. 2 national ranking, it’s inevitable that the UW women’s hockey team of 2006-07 would draw comparisons to the national championship-winning team of a year ago.
Despite being hesitant to compare current teams to those of years past, Badgers coach Mark Johnson recognizes and understands the relationship between this year’s team and last year’s.
“I try not to compare previous years,” Johnson said at a press conference Monday. “What you try to do is try to feed off experiences.”
With so many players returning from 2005-06, memories of last season’s championship have driven this year’s squad, while providing an abundance of cumulative experiences.
“The players had a wonderful experience last year winning a championship, so they have a better idea from that standpoint [of] what it takes to get to the end and give themselves an opportunity win another championship,” Johnson said.
Although the Badgers had a slightly better record last season through their first 27 games at 24-1-2, this year’s team has still built off of the success from a year ago.
“I’ve seen improvement,” Johnson said. “I’ve seen some areas that maybe last year we weren’t as strong in, where this year we’re a little bit stronger in those areas because of those experiences the kids have gone through.”
Badgers must stay up for all opponents — good or bad
Even though they have gone unscathed since returning in early January from a month-long break, the Badgers have done so against a relatively unimpressive roster of opponents, including conference doormat North Dakota and a weak Providence team.
But regardless of the opponent, the Badgers must continue to play hard each game in order to be successful.
“When you’re playing the top teams, it’s easier to prepare because you know the kids are motivated,” Johnson said. “There’s something at stake.”
Such was the case earlier this month.
With conference supremacy at stake in the series against Minnesota, Wisconsin was able to pull through with a pair of wins.
“When you play a team that isn’t ranked or isn’t near the top it becomes challenging,” Johnson said in contrast to playing better opponents like the Gophers. “I call [those games against weaker opponents] the dog days of January.
“It’s a grinding part of the season.”
With a home series this weekend against Minnesota State, a team that has never beaten Wisconsin, the Badgers will once again have to find a way to get fired up despite playing a lackluster opponent.
Johnson leaves team in capable hands while off with national team
As the Badgers prepared for their return to the ice in January, they were left without their head coach, as Johnson was forced to miss practice for a few days due to national team requirements.
As a result, assistant coaches Tracy Cornell and Dan Koch were left in charge of preparing the team for its second-half return.
“[Cornell] and [Koch] were responsible for about five or six days of practice when I was in Lake Placid with the national team,” Johnson said. “We had mapped out what we wanted to do, but they had to follow through.”
And follow through they did, as the Badgers, with Johnson back at the helm, proved they were plenty prepared with the sweep of a talented Minnesota team on the road.
“After the game — our first game in Minneapolis — I complimented them (my assistant coaches) in front of the team because they had prepared our team very well for that weekend,” Johnson said.
Koch and Cornell, in their sixth and eighth seasons respectively with the Badgers, are both important members of the program and have contributed to the success of the team and the program.
“They complement my weaknesses,” Johnson said. “I think any good staff that you’re able to put together, where people bring different things to the table, only solidifies the strength of your organization.
“Hopefully the kids benefit from the three of us being their coaches.”