Head coach Mike Eaves said before the No. 9 Wisconsin men's hockey team's (7-7-2 WCHA, 15-8-3 overall) two-week winter break that the team would come back a reinvigorated group. As the Badgers head into their fourth series since break this weekend against conference foe Minnesota State-Mankato (4-9-3, 10-9-5) they find themselves in the midst of their best stretch of the season, and Eaves has to be pleased with what he has seen thus far out of his young squad.
After Wisconsin swept Bemidji State before the break, Eaves had stated his belief that his team would come back, ""older, wiser and better hockey players"" after having a full semester to mature and grow as a group. According to the players, their coach's hope has materialized.
""For the younger guys, its not a jaw-dropping experience anymore,"" sophomore forward Craig Smith said.
""The first thing coach said when we got back was that we have no freshman on our team anymore,"" junior forward Jordy Murray added. ""All of them have made huge strides this season and have done a great job of contributing every night.""
That maturation has helped the Badgers come out in the second half of the season as hot as any team in the country, riding a streak in which they have won eight of their past nine games.
""We've strung a few games together and I think we are playing our best hockey right now,"" Murray said.
Smith credits the Badgers' dominating stretch to going back to what sports are really about.
""One of the biggest things is having fun, teams can forget about that when they're down,"" he said. ""We're having a good time playing and we're working hard for each other.""
As the Badgers welcome Mankato to the Kohl Center this weekend, they will be facing a team on a hot streak of their own. In the past 12 games the Mavericks have a 8-3-1 record and should provide a good test for Wisconsin. And with the Badgers currently in a three-way tie for fifth in the WCHA, conference wins are extremely important.
""They run around and are a fast team,"" Smith said. ""They play a very physical game and are a hard working team.""
""We just need to play our game,"" sophomore defenseman John Ramage added. ""We have to take the game to them, wear them down and be hard on them all weekend.""
Minnesota State does have a bit of a reputation for being a pesky team, the type that likes to try and rattle their opponents and bait them into bad penalties. Murray said the team is fully aware of the style the Mavericks play, and are well equipped to handle it.
""They do get under your skin as a team, but we play well against those types of teams, partly because I think we are one of those teams,"" he said. ""We have a more skilled team than them but we need to go out there and outwork them.""
