Wisconsin Hockey Part 3: Just win, baby!

[Innova]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Part 3: Just win, baby!

I hope they can win tomorrow so they don't slide into the NCAA's on a 3-game losing streak but DU is UW's biggest problem in the WCHA lately.

Wouldn't it only be 2 games?

[solovsfett]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Part 3: Just win, baby!

Wouldn't it only be 2 games?

I'm counting the drubbing by the rats as well

[VarsityWisconsin]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Part 3: Just win, baby!

This is all the evidence you guys should need to understand what we're dealing with.

Yes. I am a goof ball who doesn't take message boards seriously and logs into them for pure entertainment. My apologies.

[VarsityWisconsin]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Part 3: Just win, baby!

I agree. And I always notice it in regular games as well. When they get a two goal lead they start to sleepwalk and let the other team back in the game. Then when the other team ties it up, they start hustling again.
This is the 2nd year in a row that the Badgers have come out lethargic and shutout in the Friday afternoon game. Leadership was a problem last year and it might be again this year.

It could be routine oriented. Afternoon games are few and far between during the season so the overall gameday schedule gets messed up. I wouldn't use that as an excuse, but it could be a factor.

Also, it's only human nature for performance to be best when our asses are on the line so like a lot of the previous posts have tried to articulate, maybe there just wasn't a sense of urgency.

Another factor could be Eaves. Maybe he takes the Bo Ryan approach and tells his guys that they have bigger fish to fry than conference tournaments. By all means, this does not translate to "Don't try your hardest.", but when a bigger picture is in the back of our minds, that can affect the level of importance one sets on a game.

And last, but not least, it could be probability. The Badgers are a good hockey team, but only good enough to win 60% of their games this year. This game might possibly just be fitting in the other 40%. (obviously it's a lot more complicated than that, but for lack of motivation, we'll leave it at that)

Ok, I'm done with all of this psychological guessing. Let's just finish the season on a 5 game winning streak. Are you guys in?

[Almington]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Part 3: Just win, baby!

This team will only be dangerous when they find the sense of urgency for the entire game that they have in the last 5 minutes. I guess playing for the WCHA playoff title really didn't interest them.

That's not the game that I saw. The team just couldn't finish and Lee made some great saves. It was a faced paced and hard hitting game, much faster and more exciting then the other two games thus far at the final five.

That said, the Badgers didn't bring their A games, lot of mistakes yet if a couple bounces go the other way the Badger could have won the game by 3 or 4 goals.

I'm counting the drubbing by the rats as well

The games against UAA don't count?

[VarsityWisconsin]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Part 3: Just win, baby!

That's not the game that I saw. The team just couldn't finish and Lee made some great saves. It was a faced paced and hard hitting game, much faster and more exciting then the other two games thus far at the final five.

That said, the Badgers didn't bring their A games, lot of mistakes yet if a couple bounces go the other way the Badger could have won the game by 3 or 4 goals.



The games against UAA don't count?

I have no complaints about the Badger performance today. Goody was fine in goal and there were plenty of opportunities. We just didn't cash in and come out on top, but if we play the style of hockey we did today, it could translate to bigger things in the next 2 weeks with some luck (Which is a MAJOR factor in hockey. Everybody needs it in some sort in March and please don't give me the "Make your own luck" speech), and really, that's all I ask out of my home hockey team. Heck, Minnesota fans didn't even get that.

[solovsfett]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Part 3: Just win, baby!

That's not the game that I saw. The team just couldn't finish and Lee made some great saves. It was a faced paced and hard hitting game, much faster and more exciting then the other two games thus far at the final five.

That said, the Badgers didn't bring their A games, lot of mistakes yet if a couple bounces go the other way the Badger could have won the game by 3 or 4 goals.



The games against UAA don't count?

ah, my fault. I think I'm still hung up on the that rat game

[Gurtholfin]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Part 3: Just win, baby!

That said, the Badgers didn't bring their A games, lot of mistakes yet if a couple bounces go the other way the Badger could have won the game by 3 or 4 goals.

How many times have we said that this year? Sure, the season wasn't on the line, but I would hope that the ol' A game could maybe be mustered when the WCHA Tourney Championship is on the line. Or if not that, maybe the fact that they're playing against a top ten team would get their juices flowing. Or maybe the fact that people are keeping score?

You might also think that they'd be trying to eliminate those little mistakes and try to get on a roll so they can peak at just the right time.

I guess this group is saving it for next weekend.

[Almington]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Part 3: Just win, baby!

How many times have we said that this year? Sure, the season wasn't on the line, but I would hope that the ol' A game could maybe be mustered when the WCHA Tourney Championship is on the line. Or if not that, maybe the fact that they're playing against a top ten team would get their juices flowing. Or maybe the fact that people are keeping score?

I guess this group is saving it for next weekend.

None of the teams at the Final 5 this weekend have had anything close to their A games. To many mistakes and to much sloppy play from all 5 teams.

UW's play today may not have received an A due to the number small mistakes, but I see Lee (and the stupid post) as having won this game more for SCSU than UW doing anything specific to lose it.

Games like today happen, you generate great chance after great chance and catch a post here and the goalie makes a great save there and the next thing you know you have lost a 1-0 game. You try and learn from the mistakes and then put all the talk of puck luck and bad bounces out of you mind because you have to worry about the things that you can control and ignore those you can't.

I saw the effort I expect even if the desired results were not achieved.

[Gurtholfin]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Part 3: Just win, baby!

None of the teams at the Final 5 this weekend have had anything close to their A games. To many mistakes and to much sloppy play from all 5 teams.

If this was a hiccup for UW, it'd be one thing. This is a season long issue for a team that seems to lack the character to get it done for more than a night or two at a time.

They did not play with intensity until the third and by then it was too little, too late. In addition, while Lee was very solid, I wouldn't say he stood on his head. We missed open nets several times and their D stopped a few chances with active sticks.

One more mulligan available tomorrow and then they'd better be ready.

[MagnessMan]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Part 3: Just win, baby!

UW can earn a number one seed with a W tomorrow.

[Gurtholfin]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Part 3: Just win, baby!

UW can earn a number one seed with a W tomorrow.

Hopefully they bring their A Game although I'm not sure if that will get them excited or not.

[solovsfett]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Part 3: Just win, baby!

I obviously didn't see all the games thusfar at the F5, much less UW, I only listened to the SCSU internet feed so I can't comment on all 5 teams playing poorly at the tourny....

I'll say this as a way to elaborate on my comments about UW not playing well enough, or at least not well enough to be an NCAA Title contender now: Nodak has won 11 of their last 12. They're absolutely rolling right now at the right time. Their .500 prior record doesn't matter. Of the teams heading into the NCAA's I'd bank my money on that kind of a team then someone who sputters in or gets in but hasn't shown dominance all season, or at the least hasn't strung together 5-6 wins consecutively in the season to really show some consistency.

I'm pretty worried about UW's chances right now. Their play is so enigmatic

[bigus]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Part 3: Just win, baby!

If this was a hiccup for UW, it'd be one thing.

I tend to agree with Almington that we generated a ton of great chances. It seemed like every time we got the chance to the net, Lee saved it, and when he was down and beat, we missed the net. However, this is not a hiccup. I've now been complaining about this exact thing for years. Even in the "defensive team" years, we generated chances and didn't finish. I don't know how you teach finishing, but somehow Eaves isn't doing it.

[solovsfett]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Part 3: Just win, baby!

I tend to agree with Almington that we generated a ton of great chances. It seemed like every time we got the chance to the net, Lee saved it, and when he was down and beat, we missed the net. However, this is not a hiccup. I've now been complaining about this exact thing for years. Even in the "defensive team" years, we generated chances and didn't finish. I don't know how you teach finishing, but somehow Eaves isn't doing it.

I think finishing is not teachable. Either you have it, Heatley, Kariya, Vanek, Reinprecht, Granato, Toews, Oshie, et al or you don't. and this extends to all the other WCHA teams.

I mean who are you afraid to see go against your team on a breakaway, or who are you most weary of your team facing as an individual player? the only player this season I can mention is Rhett Rakshani (sp?) from DU. none of the rest of the 8 teams has a player like that really. Roe? sometimes. Connolly x2? sometimes. The difference is the players on that first list didn't show up sometimes. they were noticeably creating havoc every game.

Scoring-wise this UW team has far exceeded my expectations. But if you asked me who the snipers are, who can you count on in the clutch, I'm not sure I'd have an answer for you.

next season...however...might be a different story. This Zengerle kid looks like he's got sniper-type talent.