When an opponent goes into the penalty box and a two-minute one-man advantage is given to the Badgers, senior center Blake Geoffrion and the rest of the Wisconsin power-play unit have one thing in mind: put the puck in the back of the net. Through the first two weekends of the regular season, Geoffrion has already tallied three goals, and they have all come on the power play.
All too often, a team will see a power play coming and get overly aggressive, often rushing shots or trying to slot the perfect pass through the opposing defenders. Wisconsin head coach Mike Eaves tries to harness that aggressiveness, using an approach he refers to as ""TWIG,"" or ""take what is given.""
""When each young man has the puck on his stick, he is like the quarterback in football,"" Eaves said. ""He has to have the ability to read the defense and take what is given.""
Geoffrion has been the enforcer on the unit so far this year for Wisconsin, spending most of his time in front of the net scrapping for re-directed pucks, trying to take away the opposing goalie's vision, and capitalizing on rebound opportunities. That dirty work suits the senior just fine.
""A lot of times people think that because you have a man advantage you don't have to work as hard,"" Geoffrion said. ""I think you have to work harder.""
Eaves has seen the work ethic, and knows what to expect when Geoffrion is on the ice.
""He is really good at understanding what his role in the power play is and he becomes a fulcrum of that,"" Eaves said.
Despite the three early goals for the senior, he is quick to point out that, without good puck movement and decision making from the players on the blue line and on the wings, he would not have any chances to score.
""It's really all about the guys finding me. I just kind of sit in front of the net and dig at the puck and hopefully it goes in,"" Geoffrion said. ""Those guys [outside] make plays and get me the puck.""
Geoffrion is joined on the primary power play line with true freshman Justin Schultz, sophomore Derek Stepan, and juniors Brendan Smith and Michael Davies. Every time this line is on the ice, no matter how long or short the advantage, the course of the game can change.
""You always want to score, or give your team some momentum off of that, Geoffrion said. ""You don't want it to be a negative effect where you don't get set up or you have guys getting frustrated.""
So far this year for the Badgers, Wisconsin has scored on five of their 28 power-play opportunities. This translates into a 17.9 percent scoring rate, currently good for fifth in the WCHA.
The stat is a bit misleading, however. On opening weekend against Colorado College, Geoffrion scored on the power play less than five minutes into the contest. Later in the period, though, he suffered a concussion and missed the rest of the weekend. The Badgers went 0-9 on the power play after he was knocked out. Last weekend in two games against Minnesota State, Wisconsin notched four power play goals in 18 chances.
While the Badgers rank in the middle of the league in power play efficiency, Eaves said he expects the results to improve as the season moves on. Once the offense is set, the passing sequences and decision-making can get technical, and group chemistry can take time to develop.
""We're getting there,"" he said. ""Guys are getting in rhythm, our power play needed repetitions and we got that last weekend. I think we're on the right track.""
With a roster that features the talent and depth that the Badgers have, a dynamic power play unit can provide an element that very few teams will have the ability to combat. In order for this particular unit to unleash its full potential for the rest of the season they will have to remember fundamentals, such as TWIG.
