The end of last season was a disappointment for the Wisconsin men's hockey team (4-5-1 WCHA, 5-6-1 overall) as it stumbled down the stretch, before it was eliminated in the first round of the WCHA layoffs by Colorado College in Colorado Springs.
The Badgers return to that site this weekend for the first time since that heartbreaking series loss to face the No. 5 Tigers (3-2-0, 5-2-0), and for the players, the disappointment from that series still rings fresh in their minds.
"It didn't end the way we wanted it," sophomore defenseman Frankie Simonelli said. "We left there with a little extra fire in our stomach for that place."
"I want to get them back bad," sophomore forward Keegan Meuer said. "The returning guys want to avenge that, because we definitely haven't forgotten about it."
Road trips have not been friendly to Wisconsin so far this season, as the Badgers have yet to win a game outside of Madison this year. Those road hiccups might have been expected from such an inexperienced team, because the young players have had to learn quickly about life on the road.
"It's a combination of guys being ready to go and getting used to road atmospheres," Meuer said of the team's road woes this season. "You're out of your comfort zone, you're not at your home rink, you're not sleeping in your own bed and you're not going through the regular things. But guys have to develop a nice road routine and treat every game the same."
For the Badgers' young players this is their first time playing in many of the buildings on the road, something that head coach Mike Eaves said leaves them "a bit awestruck."
"Some of these guys coming straight out of high school haven't traveled farther than the next town," sophomore forward Tyler Barnes said. "It's an adjustment factor playing on the road; it's a completely different game, but we're making strides to improve our play on the road."
Part of the Badgers' problems on the road can be chalked up to inconsistency. Coaches and players agree that this team has to find ways to bring the same effort night in and night out.
"We have to come mentally prepared both nights," Simonelli said. "No matter who we're playing, no matter which night it is, no matter how tired you are, you have to know what your job is and what you have to do that night."
"The key to any good team is to set the bar high and match those expectations," Meuer said. "Prove that you can meet those, and then the next night you have to do the same thing over and over."
Wisconsin will be tested this weekend by a Colorado College offense that ranks as the highest scoring unit in the WCHA. Through seven games, the Tigers have scored 31 goals-an average of 4.43 goals per game-but according to Meuer, those numbers do n0t tell the whole story.
"They haven't played that many games," Meuer said. "In some respects we're the veteran team this season because we have almost double the games on them. We should be in better shape, better condition, and I think that's going to show this weekend."
"Hopefully our systems are going to be able to shut them down and exploit some of their shortcomings," he added. "We're not too worried about them."
