The game of hockey is naturally fast. The best players and the best teams play fast, but it is more than just speed that makes a team succeed. Teams must find a way to dictate their own pace and do the little things right.
While, as the phrase goes, speed kills, the most impactful players find a way to take the game slow and steady. And while the Badgers (5-3-0) have previously played frenetic and failed to play smooth, patient hockey, tonight they came out and didn’t chase, didn’t miss assignments and ultimately took a 2-0 win over Northern Michigan (3-6-1) in their second game of the weekend series.
Right from the opening draw, Wisconsin looked to be playing a much more deliberate game. While this may have been the Badgers’ slowest game of the season, this pace actually turned out to be a positive for the team. Instead of chasing the puck around the defensive zone, they filled lanes and kept the puck away from the front of their net.
Minutes into the first period, the puck bounced behind their goal to freshman defenseman J.D. Greenway, who immediately got the puck off his stick to a center in the middle of the ice. Yesterday, Greenway would have rushed this pass, but today he was patient and made the right play.
These seemingly little plays that escaped the Badgers last night continued to happen from the opening draw to the final horn. With only 1:50 left in the game, the Badgers led 1-0 and the margin for error became increasingly low.
Still, the Badgers continued to do the little things, as sophomore forward Will Johnson stayed high in the offensive zone and created a turnover rather than an odd man rush the other way.
“I thought sixty minutes start to finish we were pretty solid,” head coach Tony Granato said. “For the most part, we got contributions from everybody.”
While the Badgers superstars played well up front, especially in the defensive zone, the line that demonstrated this dedication to the little things was the fourth line of sophomore Matthew Freytag, sophomore Jarod Zirbel and senior Aidan Cavallini.
“I think the line that was really the difference in the game was the Zirbel line,” Granato said. “They were outstanding.”
The three of them, especially Zirbel, flew around the ice, created turnovers and kept the puck away from the opposing players in the defensive zone.
In addition to the fourth line coming out and surprising even Granato, the biggest player of the game was freshman goalie Jack Berry, who recorded a shutout in his first start of his career.
Granato told Berry last night after the game that he would start in net.
“Well,” Berry said. “I didn’t really sleep last night much.”
Even with the sleep deprivation, just like the rest of the team, Berry was not frenetic. He stayed between the pipes and covered the puck whenever he had the chance. He did not try to be a hero, but let the game come to him and absorbed the puck.
“We didn’t really ask him to get a shutout, but since he did we will pretend that we did,” Granato said. “He was square… [It was a] great performance. I think he solidified our back end.”
Still, even with the great individual effort, Berry credited his team and his defense for his success.
“The guys, they did great in front of me,” Berry said. “I’ve got to give it to them.”
Even with Berry’s brilliance, his defense did indeed play well in front of him. In fact, this was probably the defense's best game all season. While the Badgers defensive zone has been defined by chasing pucks and playing behind the net and on the boards, the team found a way to protect the middle of the ice and not give Northern Michigan wide open looks from the slot.
“We were much better away from the puck tonight,” Granato said. “I thought our battle level around the net and scoring areas was really good. Our defensive play has improved.”
Accordingly, this was a different type of win for Wisconsin. While they have won games earlier this season by looking explosive on offense, they won tonight by playing relaxed and efficient in their defensive zone. They gave up no breakaways. They gave up no open looks from in front of the net. They just played calm hockey.
“I think where we're at in the season is maybe a little bit ahead of schedule,” Granato said. “We’ve done a lot, a lot, of good things.”
If nothing else, this was the Badgers most promising win of the year. This team learned that they can play solid on both sides of the puck. This team learned that they can defend their own end of the ice and win without having to score five, six goals.
“We’re trending in the right way,” Granato said. “We’re starting to become a more complete team.”
