Baggot: Badgers still learning the art of closing the deal
December 07, 2015 | Men's Hockey, Andy Baggot
Finishing touches separating Badgers from bigger results against strong opponents
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BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. - Finishing off an opponent is a learned, treasured skill and members of the Wisconsin men's hockey team are still trying to get the hang of it.
The Badgers had multi-goal leads in both Big Ten Conference games over the weekend with Michigan, but failed to secure a victory during a series at Yost Arena in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
A 4-2 advantage in the second period of the opener Friday night dissolved into a 6-4 loss.
A 5-3 third-period lead in the series finale Saturday ended in a 6-6 overtime draw with the Wolverines prevailing in a shootout.
Wisconsin (3-6-5 overall, 0-1-1 in the Big Ten) has now had the lead or been tied in the third period of 11 games this season, but fulfillment has been elusive.
Associate head coach Luke Strand said the Badgers still seem to be caught between the act of "flipping the switch of history or turning on the switch of the present."
In other words, it's a learning process.
"I would love to say that it's tactics," Strand said. "At the same time I think it's plenty of just the mindset of what it is."
Scoring 10 or more goals in a series is usually a recipe for success, but the Badgers couldn't make that happen. The last time they hit double digits in a series and failed to win at least one game was Dec. 29-30, 1982, when they left Minnesota with a 4-4 overtime draw and a 9-8 loss.
Wisconsin would recover nicely, though, winning the Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoff title and NCAA championship during Jeff Sauer's first season as coach.
Those are distant thoughts right now, but Strand and head coach Mike Eaves came away from the weekend feeling good about several things.
Perhaps the biggest is attitude.
One night after Michigan scored four consecutive goals to erase deficits of 3-1 and 4-2, the Badgers blew a 5-3 lead and trailed by a goal midway through the third period.
But instead of retreating, freshman left winger Matthew Freytag scored his second goal of the night and Wisconsin held on for the tie.
"You're proud of the effort," Strand said. "You're proud of that resilience. You're proud of the idea that there was no give-up in the group.
"But you also have to lean back and reach back a little bit further and say, 'How do we not get in that spot and the next time we are in that spot how do we take care of it?'"
The Badgers were missing two top-line-caliber players during crunch time. Sophomore center Adam Rockwood (upper body) didn't make the trip and junior Jedd Soleway (lower body) was injured early in the series finale.
In addition to Freytag, sophomore center Ryan Wagner had his second two-goal outing of the season and senior defenseman and co-captain Kevin Schulze had a goal and two assists.
Strand noted that the Wolverines came into the Big Ten season-opening series ranked 12th nationally and armed with one of the best offenses in the country.
"It's not like it's a bad team crawling back into the game," he said. "That's a pretty electric group."
That's been the norm for the Badgers. They've faced five offenses currently ranked in the top 20 (Boston College, Michigan, North Dakota, Boston University and Denver) and three defenses situated in the top 15 (BC, North Dakota and Northern Michigan).
The only team Wisconsin has faced with a losing record is first-year independent Arizona State (5-8). The rest are a combined 62-27-21 (.659).
"We've responded in a lot of ways many, many times," Strand said, noting the difficulty of the schedule. "Now there's a next step to take."
The trend changes a bit Friday and Saturday when the Badgers close out the first half of the season with a Big Ten series at Michigan State (4-9-2) in East Lansing.
While the Spartans are in the midst of a 0-6-1 skid, they've had a majority of their success at Munn Ice Arena (3-4-1).
Another feel-good element for the Badgers is their special teams. They were 4-for-7 on the power play and 4-for-4 killing penalties against Michigan.
Wisconsin begins the week ranked 10th nationally in power play conversion rate (23.6 percent) and 14th in penalty killing (86.5 percent).
Strand was asked if the Badgers have improved since their 3-1 victory over then-top-rated North Dakota Nov. 6. They're 0-3-2 since then.
"Personal growth, yes," he said. "Now we have to find that team growth as well."
Minus Rockwood and Soleway, guys like Wagner, Freytag and sophomore left winger Jason Ford were asked to do more.
"Guys stepped into some roles that they probably weren't necessarily accustomed to, but yet stepped in and did a really nice job," Strand said.
The challenge now is to take a prime lesson from the Michigan series and apply it to Michigan State.
"We know we can play at that pace," Strand said. "Now we have to use that pace to dictate and not be dictated upon."
It all comes back to a sense of confidence, especially when it comes to closing out an opponent.
"When you don't have it, you wonder about it," Strand said. "When you do have it, you know it. That's what we have to get to."
