With this upcoming weekend’s two-game set against Denver looming, University of Wisconsin men’s hockey head coach Mike Eaves said he doesn’t focus on the Badgers’ performance against the Pioneers in October.

The Badgers dropped two games in Denver, pushing their record to 0-4 to open the season in addition to the loss of senior captain Ben Street to an injury for the year. Eaves said it was the worst point of the year for the team and that it was a “dark weekend for us.” But Eaves and his squad are concentrating on the task at hand.

“We don’t look at it at all, that was so long ago, and in terms of how they’re playing you always go back to the weekend they played before coming in to see us,” Eaves said.

The Badgers have run off a 16-8-2 record since their last matchup with Denver. Eaves did not think his team would respond in the fashion they did.

“Hopeful is a word that comes to mind, but at that time we weren’t a very good hockey team,” Eaves said. “We were struggling in many areas trying to find our identity and since that time we’ve been able to do that which has caused the turnaround and we find ourselves where we are now. But at that time if somebody would’ve said that, I’d have said they would’ve been hopeful in that thinking.”

Badgers look for playoff spot

Aside from potentially getting retribution, the weekend series will have major implications on Wisconsin’s tournament chances. Currently, the Badgers sit at 15th in the PairWise Rankings, placing the Badgers out of the tournament despite recent success.

“It does [feel unrewarding], I’m not going to lie to you,” Eaves said of the ranking. “In terms of what we can control, I know if we continue to win that that’ll probably take care of itself, so that’s our focus. It does seem unfair and I’m not sure if I understand the nuances, but I do know in talking to some folks that if we continue to win that it will take care of itself.”

The weekend will also go a long way as to determining who winds up on top of the WCHA standings; second-place Denver holds a one-point lead over the Badgers.

Although the Badgers are coming off impressive back-to-back wins over Minnesota, the coaching staff is facing a big challenge in trying to keep their players sharp over a two-week break.

“It’s a roll of the dice,” Eaves said. “History tells us that our last bye week we came out and played pretty well against Colorado College. We’ve come out after a bye week and been flat; that first period is really what you wait to see. … You haven’t been playing at game speed for awhile, that’s the reality of it.”

Eaves also expressed the importance of staying sharp during the last few weeks of practice.

“It was more of a challenge and I think where they’re at, and where you are at, you kind of have to give them what they need … and to some degree I thought we were a little more detailed in the things that we wanted this past week,” Eaves said. “We only taught one day. We actually, I thought, demanded more from them just because I think they were after a big sweep at Minnesota feeling good about themselves and I think you have to balance that out with what you demand from them.”

With the regular season winding down and the postseason coming up shortly, this week of practice and this weekend’s games hold a massive impact over the future of the hockey team. Eaves thought it was important to finish the season on a strong note.

“We’ve got six games left in the regular season, so what becomes our focus?” Eaves said. “Well our focus doesn’t really change; it’s still the same one and all mentality on a Friday and a Saturday, but then you have to talk about the process, you focus on the process.”

Dealing with injuries

Even while battling injuries the Badgers have managed to impress on a national level. Eaves attributed the success to this reserves coming in for starters and the success they have had.

“We’re pretty healthy right now,” Eaves said. “We came off a big series, we’ve got lots to play for. It’s an exciting time of year. It’s going to go by quickly. … The energy is good, I think [the players] know what’s at stake. They’re on the Internet more than we are. We have to keep their focus on the process, and if we do that we are doing our job.”