(left) Wisconsin coach Mike Eaves ratcheted up the practice on Monday to take the rust off the BadgersFrom: Wisconsin State Journal
by Andy Baggot
How do you create a violent windstorm of momentum from a gentle breeze of good fortune?
If you're members of the University of Wisconsin men's hockey team, you make a change in your approach.
Earlier this month, the Badgers had a week off prior to their Western Collegiate Hockey Association best-of-three playoff series at St. Cloud State.
En route to being swept, they showed a lot of rust in the opener, a 3-0 loss, then dominated the second game before losing 4-3 in overtime.
UW is facing a similar situation now, having had a week off prior to getting a somewhat unlikely berth in the NCAA tournament.
The third-seeded Badgers (15-16-7) face second-seeded Denver (26-13-1) in the Midwest regional semifinals Saturday at the Kohl Center knowing they can't afford mistakes, much less a rusty constitution because of the one-and-done reality.
Question is, what can they do to be better prepared, especially since they're coming in with a rare three-game losing streak and the Pioneers will be coming in fresh off winning the WCHA Final Five playoff title Saturday?
The answer came Sunday night when UW coach Mike Eaves met with his players prior to a 50-minute skate led by senior defenseman and captain Davis Drewiske.
"He gave us forewarning that we were going to get after it this week and we're going to battle a little bit and get some of that rust off," Drewiske said.
That was the case Monday when practice featured a variety of segments the centered around puck possession, 1-on-1 battles and physical play in the corners and in front of the net. More is expected today.
"We've got to get into game mode now," UW junior goaltender Shane Connelly said.
"Down and dirty," is how senior winger Matthew Ford described it.
In reviewing what happened to his team against St. Cloud, Eaves said a critical element was missing.
"Our legs looked good, we played at pace, but the fact is we lost too many battles in the pit areas in front of the net and in the corners," he said. "That's one of the lessons that we can learn from that weekend."
Asked if it was a mistake in judgment -- that perhaps he backed off too much -- Eaves said the practice format prior to the St. Cloud playoff series was no different than previous bye weeks in previous seasons.
"So, is it this group of people?" Eaves asked rhetorically. "I'm not sure what it is, but with this group of people, the lesson that we learned is maybe we have to do more battle stuff."
There didn't seem to be a lot of emotional energy crackling through practice Monday, which seemed odd given the circumstances. The Badgers had a stunning array of circumstances fall their way to get into the NCAA tournament, so conventional wisdom suggested there would be a lot of enthusiasm regarding their second life.
Eaves acknowledged the void, but said the physical nature of practice, coupled with the fact it was the first session since Thursday, made it hard to be openly gung-ho.
"The kids worked hard," he said. "Were we as sharp? Did we do the things that we wanted to do with the puck and that type of stuff? Probably not.
"But overall, you could tell they were right there. They worked through the rough moments and stayed with it."
Asked specifically about the lack of emotion, Eaves smiled.
"I think that was a lack of breath," he said. "It's hard to have emotion and talk when you're trying to catch your breath."
If you're members of the University of Wisconsin men's hockey team, you make a change in your approach.
Earlier this month, the Badgers had a week off prior to their Western Collegiate Hockey Association best-of-three playoff series at St. Cloud State.
En route to being swept, they showed a lot of rust in the opener, a 3-0 loss, then dominated the second game before losing 4-3 in overtime.
UW is facing a similar situation now, having had a week off prior to getting a somewhat unlikely berth in the NCAA tournament.
The third-seeded Badgers (15-16-7) face second-seeded Denver (26-13-1) in the Midwest regional semifinals Saturday at the Kohl Center knowing they can't afford mistakes, much less a rusty constitution because of the one-and-done reality.
Question is, what can they do to be better prepared, especially since they're coming in with a rare three-game losing streak and the Pioneers will be coming in fresh off winning the WCHA Final Five playoff title Saturday?
The answer came Sunday night when UW coach Mike Eaves met with his players prior to a 50-minute skate led by senior defenseman and captain Davis Drewiske.
"He gave us forewarning that we were going to get after it this week and we're going to battle a little bit and get some of that rust off," Drewiske said.
That was the case Monday when practice featured a variety of segments the centered around puck possession, 1-on-1 battles and physical play in the corners and in front of the net. More is expected today.
"We've got to get into game mode now," UW junior goaltender Shane Connelly said.
"Down and dirty," is how senior winger Matthew Ford described it.
In reviewing what happened to his team against St. Cloud, Eaves said a critical element was missing.
"Our legs looked good, we played at pace, but the fact is we lost too many battles in the pit areas in front of the net and in the corners," he said. "That's one of the lessons that we can learn from that weekend."
Asked if it was a mistake in judgment -- that perhaps he backed off too much -- Eaves said the practice format prior to the St. Cloud playoff series was no different than previous bye weeks in previous seasons.
"So, is it this group of people?" Eaves asked rhetorically. "I'm not sure what it is, but with this group of people, the lesson that we learned is maybe we have to do more battle stuff."
There didn't seem to be a lot of emotional energy crackling through practice Monday, which seemed odd given the circumstances. The Badgers had a stunning array of circumstances fall their way to get into the NCAA tournament, so conventional wisdom suggested there would be a lot of enthusiasm regarding their second life.
Eaves acknowledged the void, but said the physical nature of practice, coupled with the fact it was the first session since Thursday, made it hard to be openly gung-ho.
"The kids worked hard," he said. "Were we as sharp? Did we do the things that we wanted to do with the puck and that type of stuff? Probably not.
"But overall, you could tell they were right there. They worked through the rough moments and stayed with it."
Asked specifically about the lack of emotion, Eaves smiled.
"I think that was a lack of breath," he said. "It's hard to have emotion and talk when you're trying to catch your breath."
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