The record books will list Mike Eaves as head coach of the men's hockey team during its recent run to the national title game, but make no mistake about it: This team belonged to the senior class.
That is not to say Eaves' even-keeled mantra did not help the team through the trials and tribulations of the season, or that no underclassmen played important roles on the team, but the success of the Badgers this year started and ended with the seven men in their final year of eligibility in Madison.
Hobey Baker winner and First Team All-American center Blake Geoffrion anchored the senior class, tallying 28 goals, one more than his previous three years combined. Fellow senior Aaron Bendickson accomplished the same feat, as he racked up 12 goals after entering the year with eight in his career.
The rest of the squad combined to form one of the most feared offensive attacks in the country. Four players finished with 50 points or more, and the team averaged an impressive 4.0 goals per game. Junior defenseman and First Team All-American Brendan Smith led the nation in scoring from the blue line, while fellow junior Ryan McDonagh established himself as one of the best pure defensemen in the nation.
The Badgers compiled a 28-11-4 record overall, finished second in the ultra-competitive WCHA, earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, and came within three periods of bringing home the program's seventh national championship. Maybe most impressively, Wisconsin never lost back-to-back games this season. Given the strength and length of the Badgers' schedule, that alone is worth high praise.
In addition to losing seven seniors, Smith and fellow junior defenseman Cody Goloubef have already bolted for the NHL, while McDonagh and sophomore center Derek Stepan, who led the team in scoring with 54 points, still have decisions to make. However, if those two return and the incoming group of highly touted recruits can begin to fill the gaping void left behind by the departing talent, Eaves has a chance to defend this spot as The Daily Cardinal's team of the year.
