Hockey Head Coach Jeff Sauer Speaks to the Media Monday
December 10, 2001 | Men's Hockey
On the timing of the long break before the Badgers next game: 'After the way we played on the weekend we have a lot of confidence right now and it may be good for us to play again this upcoming weekend but it will be good for us to get Andy Wheeler and Kent Davyduke back to 100 percent. I think we are ready for a break--the wins over the weekend were a Christmas present. We put ourselves in pretty good shape going into the holidays. '
On the January schedule and the importance of carrying momentum: 'It is very important. Basically what we did on the weekend was we eliminated one team from our sights. North Dakota was one of the teams I thought we would have to battle at the end of the year but now the only way for them to beat us is to win more games in terms of a tie with us. The important thing now is the loss column. And now we are only one loss out of third place with Minnesota. We have got games in hand on the teams behind us and we have got to play these teams ahead of us. Carrying the momentum will be difficult. One of the things I mentioned last week, we play four more games on small sheet of ice 'two in Milwaukee and two at Denver, and the rest of the year we are on a big sheet of ice'St. Cloud, Minnesota, Colorado College, and some of those teams. So it is imperative that we keep this confidence going and get it built up. We hold our destiny in our hands and that is the key.'
On remembering any games that were like the game Friday night: 'As I mentioned after the game Friday night, I think we needed a game like that in the Kohl Center. The fans have not seen something like that here. We have had some comebacks on the road, but not at home. The only other game that I have been involved in as a coach in a comeback like that was when I was at Colorado College in a game against Wisconsin. We were down by six goals in a two game total goal series and we came back and won. But in an individual game, as a coach or as a player, I have never been in a game and been down by that much with that little time left and come back to win."
On the goaltending: "I do not know if I was hoping to get to a rotation in goaltenders but I though it could come to that as the season progressed. Bernd Bruckler has made a tremendous improvement in three or four areas that have really put him into the picture. Scott Kabotoff is our goaltender and will be our goaltender against Brown. The reason we took him out on Saturday night was because we had traveled a lot in the past couple of weeks and with the number of shots he had faced he was not very sharp on Friday night. I think some rotation has given both of them confidence, and from a team standpoint'after the way Bernd Buckler played Saturday night'the team has a lot of confidence in both goaltenders as well. I have confidence in playing either goaltender.
On the field for the showdown: New Hampshire and Colorado College...it will be a good tournament. The team we play (Brown) has surprised me with some of their scores. They have been down the past couple of years and it has surprised me some of the teams they have beaten this year. From our standpoint, hopefully we can take care of Brown and play one of the other teams.
