One might think there is a temptation among members of the Wisconsin men's hockey team to take their Friday contest against St. Cloud State in the WCHA Tournament semifinal for granted. After all, the Badgers spent nearly the entire year at the top level of the conference, joined by only one team—Denver—a squad they could face for the conference playoff championship Saturday night.
The Huskies are a solid team fighting for a good seed in the NCAA tournament, and it is impossible to take a game against the No. 5 team in the country for granted. But with the possibility of facing the top-ranked team in the country the next night, Wisconsin could be forgiven for letting those thoughts seep into their minds.
That has not been the case, however, according to head coach Mike Eaves.
""We don't talk about that at all, it's about being in the moment,"" Eaves said. ""They understand that they've got to beat St. Cloud then we'll cross that next bridge, which is Denver. ""It's very pleasing to hear that no one's talking about Denver, which is what it should be.""
The Badgers cannot afford to look past their game against the Huskies. On top of their high national ranking, St. Cloud State has split both of its series against Wisconsin this year including a 5-1 win in the Kohl Center that saw junior goaltender Dan Dunn stymie the Badger offense while making 37 saves.
One of the main reasons Wisconsin struggled in that opener was the Huskies' discipline, which gave the Badgers just two power-play opportunities. Eaves said that will make any chance Wisconsin has Friday even more crucial, and force the Badgers to play an equally disciplined game, something they have not always been able to do.
""They won that battle,"" Eaves said of the Feb. 19 loss. ""Our power play looked good when we had it, but we only had two looks at it, so we're going to have to be ready to go when we have good opportunities and have a good emotional control.""
For junior goaltender Scott Gudmandson, that last series was an example of him not playing to the ability he showed earlier in the year. Gudmandson saved just 19 of the 24 shots he faced in the Friday loss and was not much better Saturday, but he said he has worked to put it out of his mind.
""It's something that I really had to focus on last season and during the summer, just trying to have a short memory,"" he said.
""I'm playing a lot better now [but] I think that was one of the times throughout the season where I slipped up.""
Eaves has complemented Gudmandson's ability to bounce back from a frustrating series or goal, something he showcased against Alaska-Anchorage. In Saturday's series finale with the Seawolves, Gudmandson went out to play a puck but ended up having it taken off his stick and shot into the empty net to tie the game.
After that mistake, however, Gudmandson stopped all of the shots he faced and the Wisconsin offense stepped up to carry the Badgers to a 7-2 victory. Senior forward Blake Geoffrion said the ability to recover from a tough situation is one of the reasons the team is behind him.
""He's really confident now,"" Geoffrion said. ""He believes in himself and he knows that we believe in him, and he's playing great hockey.""
Wisconsin will face off against St. Cloud State Friday at 2 p.m. in the Xcel Energy Center.
