Baggot: Give that dog a bone
November 19, 2015 | Men's Hockey, Andy Baggot
Paddy Sexton's booming hits part of Badgers' improved defensive play
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BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. -- There are too many scraps of evidence to think it's just a coincidence.
Since freshman defenseman Patrick "Paddy" Sexton was inserted into the lineup for the Wisconsin men's hockey team, opponents are scoring fewer goals and generating fewer shots per game.
Most notably, the Badgers are having tangible success. After going without a victory in four games minus Sexton (0-2-2) they have a winning record with him playing a regular shift (3-2-1).
Senior defenseman and co-captain Eddie Wittchow sees a pattern that can be traced to Sexton, a 6-foot-1, 198-pounder from Ottawa, Ontario, whose rookie status is somewhat skewed by the fact he's 21 and has more than 250 Junior A games on his resume.
"He knows how to play the defensive game,'' Wittchow said. "He's helped take some minutes away from some of the guys who may have been getting a little fatigued in those first four games.
"I definitely think it has been a pattern."
Wittchow was quick to add that the blue line unit has a whole has made strides since the Badgers opened the season with a set of overtime draws with Northern Michigan and one-sided losses to a pair of highly ranked entities in Boston College and Boston University.
The growing comfort level of freshman goaltender Matt Jurusik is another major factor in why Wisconsin has won three of its last four games, including a resounding upset of top-ranked North Dakota on the road Nov. 6.
But the Sexton factor appears real. Another measure of its effectiveness will come Friday and Saturday nights when the Badgers (3-4-3 overall) host Denver (6-3-1) in a non-conference series at the Kohl Center.
Sexton sat out the first four games while a Big Ten Conference academic matter was being clarified. It involved a transfer of credits and wasn't completed until after an appeal by the school.
"The alternative was that I would have had to miss the whole year had that appeal not gone through, so as much as it sucked not being able to play and watching those first four, I'm happy to be in the lineup now and happy to be eligible,'' he said.
Since his first shift during a non-conference series opener at Ferris State on Oct. 23 – he stepped up at the blue line and delivered a thunderous check – Sexton has made his presence felt.
Most importantly he's enabled Wisconsin coach Mike Eaves to balance ice time among the defensemen and create stability for a rotation that had leaned heavily on four veterans: Wittchow, fellow senior co-captain Kevin Schulze and sophomores Tim Davison and Jake Linhart.
Sexton also fills an emotional void. Asked what the Badgers were missing without him in the lineup, Eaves tapped into favorite aura.
"He brings a base element in that he plays with his heart on his sleeve," he said of Sexton. "If you watch him play he's not the most technical player in terms of his skating or his stick position, but he plays with his heart and his soul.
"A lot of times he's limited by his natural ability, but he makes up for that with his heart and his soul. Sometimes it looks like he's scrambling, but he gets it done."
Sexton and Wittchow, an edgy 6-4, 220-pounder, are both stay-at-home defensemen whose best work tends to go unnoticed.
"We're not flashy. We just play a defensive type of game," Wittchow said. "Not to say we were missing it from anyone else, but just having Patrick and his experience come into the lineup and provide that has been huge for us."
Like Wittchow, Sexton relishes the physical side of things on the ice.
"I like to think that there's one more of us back there when he's in the lineup," Wittchow said.
Sexton, who prefers to go by the name Paddy, has strong, deep roots in the college and NHL societies.
His father, Randy, was a standout defenseman and two-time captain at St. Lawrence from 1978 to '82 before becoming an assistant coach with the Saints. From there he used his business degree to carve out a wide, impressive path in the NHL. He helped Ottawa become an expansion franchise. He's served as general manager of the Senators as well as the Florida Panthers. He currently operates as director of amateur scouting for Pittsburgh Penguins, where he's been since 2010.
Meanwhile, Sexton's older brother, Ben, is a center playing in the Boston farm system after a four-year career at Clarkson.
Randy Sexton said his youngest son "has far more skill than I ever had" and has cultivated a sense of knowing how to be a leader. To wit, Paddy was the captain last season at Penticton, the British Columbia Hockey League powerhouse that won the league title and advanced to the Canadian Junior A championship. He spent two years with the Vees and was voted most inspirational by his teammates both seasons.
Randy Sexton described his son's style of play as "robust and physical" and said his instincts for leadership are rooted in the fact "he understands everyone has a role.'' The father added that Paddy goes into every game looking to be matched against the top opposing line and determined to emerge a plus performer.
Eaves, who played in the NHL after starring for the Badgers and whose father coached at the college level, said Paddy Sexton carries himself like a hockey lifer.
"He gets how the game fits together, almost like a coach's son," Eaves said.
The younger Sexton played 119 games in the Central Canada Hockey League – with Gloucester and Smiths Falls – before following in his brother's footsteps and skating in 103 games for Penticton.
"It's definitely an adjustment going from juniors to college hockey," Paddy said, "but the older guys have done a great job of helping me transition and giving me confidence."
Sexton has been paired lately with Schulze, while Wittchow has worked with Linhart and Davison with freshman Peter Tischke.
In addition to upgrades in scoring defense (from 3.75 goals allowed to 2.16) and shots yielded (from 32.5 to 30.6) the Badgers have killed off 21 of 23 opposing power plays (91.3 percent) since Sexton joined the lineup.
According to his father, Sexton was a forward until he was 16. That's when he asked his reluctant coaches to move him to the blue line. Paddy said the move fit better fit his playmaking instincts, whether it's breaking the puck out of the defensive zone or supporting the rush.
"I like to think I have pretty good hockey sense," he said. "For me, being able to play D and see the ice the way I see the ice, I'm able to make more plays and I'm better able to help my team."
The numbers show Sexton is doing just that for the Badgers.
