LetsGoDU

WCHA Playoffs

Rough Year For The Badgers
"Curse of the Seawolf II" afflicts program
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From: Wisconsin State Journal
by Mike Baggot

(left) Its been a bumpy ride since the Badgers won the National Championship back in April

If you're holding out hope the defending NCAA men's hockey champions are going to pull it together and make a gallant run through the playoffs, a little advice:

Let it go.

It's just not going to happen.

University of Wisconsin players can put forth an inspired, pedal-to-the-metal, do-or-die performance every night from here on out and it won't change the inevitable outcome.
This season is going to end sooner than anyone associated with the program wanted, or expected, and there are two theories to support such a belief.

One: No matter how much they want to, or try to, the Badgers are not going to change who they have become during the first 30-plus games. They are inconsistent, offensively challenged and prone to underachievement
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Two: Fate simply has other ideas.

Since that day in early April when UW athletic director Barry Alvarez declared ownership of college hockey - celebrating the unprecedented feat of men's and women's NCAA titles in the same year - strange things have happened to the men and I'm not even talking about the fact they have faced three goaltenders whose last names begin with "Z."

It started within days of that Alvarez-led civic celebration when junior winger and leading goal scorer Robbie Earl told the gathering masses that he would return this season and then turned pro a few days later, signing with Toronto.

A month later, UW coach Mike Eaves learned center Sam Gagner, a 2007-08 recruit projected to be a top-10 NHL draft pick this summer, had changed his mind and was going to play Major Junior in Canada.

In June, Badger Jeff Likens was arrested for disorderly conduct at "CountryFest" when he fell into a tent at four in the morning while a family was sleeping inside.

July brought a moment few saw coming: Sophomore center and leading scorer Joe Pavelski turned pro, signing with San Jose and playing alongside Matt Carle this season.

Ten days before school started the San Jose Sharks struck again, Mike Potenza, the respected and well-liked strength and conditioning coach for the men's and women's team, took a job with the NHL team.

For reasons still unclear, neither the men's or women's teams were invited to the White House for their traditional summertime photo-op with the president.

On the October night when the NCAA championship banner was raised at the Kohl Center, not only did the Badgers lose in overtime to North Dakota, their top three returning scorers suffered significant injuries. Wingers Jack Skille and Ross Carlson missed 11 and seven games, respectively, while defenseman Kyle Klubertanz missed three.

Upset with a lack of playing time, freshman defenseman Nigel Williams dropped out of school in November and joined Gagner in the Ontario Hockey League.

Center Blake Geoffrion had his scooter stolen during preseason training camp and defenseman Davis Drewiske had his NCAA championship ring stolen in December.

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Then Kyle Klubertanz was charged in December with criminal damage to property for toppling a cow sculpture in front of the Kohl Center for an incident that occurred back in August. Klubertanz and a former teammate were reportedly on their way home from a night at a campus area bar when they decided to tip over one of the CowParade Wisconsin cows at the Kohl Center.

Asked about this timeline, Eaves told a story about a man who walks the beach and keeps picking up pieces of coal. One breaks open and on the inside is a diamond.

"In all these quirky things that have happened, is there something worthwhile that we can take with us and use at the end of the year?" Eaves said. "I don't know that answer to that, but that's the way you have to look at it."