Being one of the youngest teams in the country, the No. 6 Wisconsin men's hockey team is generally known for its promising collection of talented freshmen and sophomores.
While the young players get much of the press, one cannot overlook the contributions of seniors Bernd Br??ckler, John Funk, Luke Kohtala and Pete Talafous. Led by the All-American Br??ckler, the Badgers skate into this weekend to face another tough opponent in No. 3 Colorado College.
While the game has huge implications in terms of NCAA seedings as well as the race for the MacNaughton Cup, the seniors cannot help but wonder what they will be feeling when they the skate onto the Kohl Center ice for the last home game.
\It's definitely going to be emotional, and there is a part of me that's going to miss it a lot,"" Br??ckler said.
But he understands that the Badgers still have much to play for, and they cannot get too caught up in the emotion of the game. Senior forward Funk shares Br??ckler's sentiments.
""It is a little bit sad, but it has been fun,"" Funk said. ""There's going to be a sold-out crowd and you want to go out on a good note.""
Although Funk has not been the Badgers' most prolific scorer, his contribution to the team and the experiences he takes away are invaluable.
""These guys mean just about everything to me,"" Funk said. ""It's interesting where this program has gone since I came in here. But I'm happy.""
Both players made it clear that they want to bring their ""A"" game this weekend and finish their last home game without any regrets.
As many fans know, Br??ckler will not be the only Austrian Badger playing his last home game in the near future. Senior men's basketball center Andreas Helmigk will be suiting up for the last time before the Grateful Red in March.
Br??ckler said of his friend and former roommate, ""He's also sad to have this come to an end but wants to go out on a high note.""
In regards to his plans after leaving Madison, Br??ckler already has his laid out. The future Philadelphia Flyer is eager to ""do [his] best and get into their system and contribute right away.""
The only thing standing in the way between him and future NHL stardom is the league's current labor dispute. Both Br??ckler and Funk feel that an agreement will be reached soon, but neither seems confident in the league's ability to save the current season.
As far as his legacy at Wisconsin, Br??ckler has a chance to go down as one of the best goalies in Badger history along with other greats such as Mike Richter, Curtis Joseph and Jim Carey.
Since his freshman season, Br??ckler has compiled an impressive resum??. After showing marked improvement during his first two seasons with the team, Br??ckler emerged as one of the elite players of college hockey during his junior season.
He won the WCHA goalie title with a 2.11 goals against average in league games, the first Badger to accomplish this feat in 10 years.
He also won the Most Outstanding Player in the NCAA East regional along the way to earning first-team All-American status and first-team All-WCHA honors, as well as capturing the Spike Carlson Award for team MCVP.
When he first arrived at Wisconsin, Br??ckler didn't imagine that he would have accomplished this much and received so many accolades.
""I wasn't thinking about that at all when I arrived,"" Br??ckler said ""I just wanted to play to the best of my ability and go out and contribute to the team's success.""
Br??ckler will be spending his final Kohl Center weekend with Kohtala, fellow goalie. Though Kohtala has seen only a few minutes for the Badgers in goal, Br??ckler has nothing but praise for him.
""I don't think you could say enough about Luke. He's been a rock in practice,"" Br??ckler said. ""He's a great guy to have in the locker room. He's just been great, and he's always worked hard and given his best ... and in a tough situation really, because he didn't always get awarded with playing time.""
Talafous has also seen his playing time dwindle in the recent past, but has learned many lessons and has no regrets.
""My attitude has changed a lot. I enjoy being around the team,"" Talafous said. ""I have just as good of memories as if I would have played more here.""
While this small group of seniors has accomplished much during their four years here, the last chapter in their legacy has yet to be written, and this weekend, they will hold the pen.
