Tuesday Morning News and Notes

-The University of Wisconsin Men's hockey program announced it's 2010-2011 award winners at a banquet on Monday afternoon at the Kohl Center. Top honors went to Sophomore defenseman Justin Schultz who was named the Spike Carlson Most Valuable Player as voted on by his teammates.

Other award winners included: Podge Turnbull-Jim Santulli 7th Man Award (Voted on by the fans); Patrick Johnson-Fenton Kelsey Jr. Most Competitive Player; Ryan Little and Jefferson Dahl-Otto Breitenbach Most Improved Player Award; Scott Gudmandson-Ivan B. Williamson Scholastic Award and Unsung Hero Award; Michael Mersch-Dr. Joseph Coyne Memorial Award for the most consistent player; and Captain Sean Dolan-W Club Community Service Award.

-As this site first reported on Monday night, Badger forward Jordy Murray plans to forgo his final season of eligibility at Wisconsin to sign a pro contract in Switzerland. Wisconsin State Journal beat writer Andy Baggot chimed in on Tuesday morning with some quotes from Murray.

-This is for all the knuckleheads who every year want to fire Wisconsin head coach Mike Eaves if he doesn't win an NCAA title. New Jersey Devils forward Zach Parise was asked if he could bring in any coach for the Devils who would it be. His response (courtesy of @maxhenson)...

"Another coach that has coached in the NHL before and I had him for a few international tournaments is Mike Eaves. He is now at Wisconsin and I’ve never been so prepared to face an opponent as when I was playing for him. It may be a little different in an 82-game schedule, but he did a great job of having players understand their role on the team and got them to do that to the best of their ability."

-@thenyrangers, the official twitter account for the NHL's New York Rangers tweeted Monday afternoon that former Badgers and current NHL'ers Derek Stepan and Ryan McDonagh will both be taking college courses this summer in pursuit of their degrees. It's nice to see both players maturity in making the decision to keep working towards graduating.

-Although both players plan to take classes this summer, McDonagh and Stepan might not be done playing hockey for the year. Aaron Gross from New Jersey Record the is reporting that both players are considering invitations from USA Hockey to join Team USA for the World Championships. Former Badgers Jake Gardiner and Jack Skille as well as current Badger Craig Smith have already accepted invitations from USA hockey to play in the tournament.

Update: Kevin Allen from the USA Today is reporting that Stepan has accepted a spot on team USA making him the fourth player with Badger ties on the roster. No word on McDonagh.

Update #2: Allen just chimed in with another tweet saying that like Stepan, McDonagh is also joining team USA for the World Championships. That's FIVE players with Badger ties on the roster. With five players with Badger ties representing the United States at the Women's World Championships, the Badgers have had a strong presence lately with USA hockey.

-I posted yesterday on the USA Women's hockey team winning the gold medal at the World Championships but I wanted to link you to the UWBadgers.com release because they really do a phenomenal job of recapping the gold medal game and the tournament from a UW perspective. I've never been confused with Badger Women's hockey enthusiast but Knight and Decker really make me want to catch more of their games next season.

-Ryan S. Clark, the beat writer for the Fargo Force (USHL) has been a news breaking machine lately. Of note to Wisconsin hockey recruitnik's is that Vinny Saponari, the former Boston University forward has committed to Northeastern. After two season's at BU, Saponari was kicked off the team for some off ice issues. When he originally selected BU, it was believed by most that Wisconsin was the runner up for his services so many wondered if Madison would be an option this time around. But it looks like he's headed back to the land where chowder reigns supreme.

-Andy Baggot had a blog update yesterday talking about the uncertainty ahead in the college hockey landscape. The annual coaches convention in Florida that will take place this Wednesday through Sunday will provide an opportunity for many issues to be put on the table. Baggot notes that Wisconsin is sending a large contingency to Florida including both the men's and women's coaching staffs and support staffs as well as UW senior associate athletic director Sean Frazier, athletic board chair Walter Dickey and athletic board member Sheila McGuirk.

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Thanks Again Seniors

Brett Bennett: You decided to transfer in here after a few seasons at Boston University knowing that you were going to be going up against a player in your same class at the same position. You battled injuries and at times spent lengthy periods of time without starts. Never once did you voice displeasure over your situation. You handled everything like a professional, like a Badger. Thank you.

Sean Dolan: Never the flashiest player, but always got the job done. The consummate veteran centerman. Will be remembered at Wisconsin for having the honor of wearing the captains "C" as a senior. You embody the spirit of a Wisconsin captain and I know you will carry that honor with you your entire life. Thank you.

Scott Gudmandson: After two untested seasons to start your career in Madison you there were many question marks. Another goalie was even brought in to challenge you. Yet you stayed focused, helped backstop the team to an NCAA Championship game as a junior. You came back your senior season and were even better. Thank You.

Patrick Johnson: With your last name brings great expectations. You never once shied away from that. When the team was faltering down the stretch this season you stepped up and took things into your own hands, scoring 5 goals in the last 5 games of the regular season. Exactly what a Johnson would do. Thank you.

Craig Johnson: Coming in as a freshman walk on out of the NAHL, no one was sure what to expect out of you. By the time you were a senior you turned yourself in to a fan favorite for steady play, night in and night out. One of the biggest compliments a defenseman can have is when you can go a game without hearing their name much. There are a ton of games that I don't even remember you playing because you rarely put yourself in bad spots to get beat. Thank you.

Podge Turnbull: For one reason or another you were in and out of the lineup most of your career but always seemed to make the most of your time on the ice. As an NHL draft pick you could have caused a stir, or turned pro and bolted but you stayed for your four years, and put up with some injustices because you're a Badger. Thank you.

This senior class started with nine, and along the way lost a few to the pros, and added a transfer. It's been an honor to watch you six throughout your careers at the University of Wisconsin. You were a part of a team that played for a National Championship. And while you didn't ultimately get that ring, you will forever be remembered as Badgers. My hat is off to you all.

Thank you.

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Should Eaves give Bennett the nod tonight?

Sometimes when things aren't going your way you can either keep banging your head against the wall and hope it breaks through or you can try something else. Call me crazy but if I had any say, I'd give Brett Bennett the start tonight.

Now I know what your thinking. Panic move. Not at all. I, along with everyone else in the country knows that Gudmandson is our starter and he's going to need to be our starter down the stretch.

But Scotty has had 3 games in a row where he just doesn't seem to have "it." I'm not quite sure if it's fatigue or what it is. Gudmandson has started 15 out of the past 17 games for Wisconsin.

Giving Gudmandson a night off and throwing B-twice between the pipes in a big rivalry game might energize the team and could provide the spark that the Badgers need in a crucial game for league standings and for Wisconsin's NCAA tournament chances.

Don't forget that Bennett is good. He's taken unwarranted heat from Wisconsin fans who have very short memories and don't understand that playing the puck out of the goal crease is actually a good thing. Remember back on Saturday night at Mariucci earlier this season Bennett was in the net and his puck handling skills directly lead to a goal which helped the Badgers earn a hard fought road tie.

Like I said, we know that Gudmanson is the guy, and we're going to need him down the stretch but it makes a lot of sense to me to give Bennett the nod tonight. Remember the last time Gudmanson got pulled from a game he rattled off a streak of 13 straight games allowing 2 goals or less.

Photo of Bennett courtesy of Melody Hasse

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Saturday Night Lineups: Murray Out, Meuer In

Just saw the lineups posted by Grand Forks Herald beat writer Brad Elliott Schlossman and Jordy Murray is not in the lineup tonight for Wisconsin. I guess the injury was serious enough to hold him out of tonight's match up vs North Dakota.

If you missed it, Murray was injured on an illegal elbow to the head by UND forward Brett Hextall. Hextall was assessed a five minute major and game misconduct for contact to the head.

Wisconsin captain Sean Dolan tweeted this today, "Jordy is feeling better today has some nice zips in his chin... Can't wait for the game tonight."

Wisconsin head coach Mike Eaves has promoted senior winger Podge Turnbull up to the top unit with Craig Smith and Mark Zengerle. Should be a great opportunity for Turnbull tonight. Red shirt freshman Keegan Meuer has been inserted on the fourth line on the right side with Jefferson Dahl and Jason Clark. This will be Meuer's third game for the Badgers this season.

Another interesting note is Eaves going back to Scott Gudmandson (pictured) again tonight. Scott played great last night but I don't like this move. I've been a proponent of the rotation and it's way too early to be picking and choosing spots. Brett Bennett has played just as good this season and deserves the opportunity against North Dakota tonight. That said, I'm very confident that Gudmandson will play great tonight. What a great problem to have.

WISCONSIN LINES

8 Podge Turnbull–15 Craig Smith–9 Mark Zengerle
10 Patrick Johnson–16 Sean Dolan–20 Ryan Little
25 Michael Mersch–23 Derek Lee–7 Tyler Barnes
29 Jason Clark–14 Jefferson Dahl–12 Keegan Meuer

19 Jake Gardiner–6 Justin Schultz
3 Craig Johnson–55 John Ramage
24 Joe Faust–27 Frankie Simonelli

1 Scott Gudmandson
33 Brett Bennett

NORTH DAKOTA LINES

11 Derek Rodwell–22 Brad Malone–7 Danny Kristo
17 Jason Gregoire–10 Corban Knight–26 Brett Hextall
19 Evan Trupp–29 Brock Nelson–21 Matt Frattin
8 Mike Cichy–9 Mario Lamoureux–20 Joe Gleason

24 Ben Blood–5 Chay Genoway
3 Derrick LaPoint–18 Dillon Simpson
4 Derek Forbort–25 Jake Marto

32 Aaron Dell
31 Brad Eidsness

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Wishes for Sue Weekend

This week we welcome the North Dakota Fighting [nickname redacted] to the fair city of Madison and to the Kohl Center for a weekend series. One of my most cherished Badger hockey memories was the student section (with me being 25 feet away in 117) heckling T.J. Oshie so loudly that he couldn't be heard on TV during his intermission interview. I hope you students can do something as memorable this weekend. Now to the other things I want this weekend.

1. I want to see some discipline
Well, it's a Badger-Sioux series, and I see no way that these teams get through the weekend without at least a few scrums. I definitely want to see our guys sticking up for each other, but the key is to be smart about it. Don't blow a fuse, overreact, and then take dumb penalties for it. 

2. I want two sellouts
With the way the Badgers are playing so far this season and with a rival team like North Dakota in town, there's no good reason for the Kohl Center to have empty seats this weekend. Being tired out from a football game Saturday morning is no excuse. Go home, take a nap, and get re-energized for the second game. Besides, it's not like you have to get up by noon for a Packers game on Sunday!

3. I want the good goaltending to keep up
Gudmandson and Bennett have both looked quite good this season. They will be up against a good offensive team in North Dakota, who score 3.3 goals per game and are clicking at 25% on the power play. Control the rebounds, cover the puck, and just keep playing smart.

4. I want to see Zengerle's hot streak continue
First-Star is making everyone better on the top line with his great playmaking ability. I haven't seen a freshman look this impressive this early since Kyle Turris, and even he slowed down considerably against conference opponents. Z has no such issues so far, with 9 points in six WCHA games. Here's hoping he keeps it up against goaltenders Aaron Dell and Brad Eidsness.

Gudmandson's mask design contest deadline this Sunday

PRESS RELEASE

MADISON, Wis. -- The end of the "Design Scott's Mask" contest is rapidly approaching, so get your design in now. The deadline for entry submissions is this Sunday, Aug. 1.

Senior goaltender Scott Gudmandson is asking Badger fans to design his goalie mask for the 2010 College Hockey Showcase, which takes place Nov. 26-27 at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis.

There are two ways to enter. Use the online design tools at Wisconsinhockey2010.com or print out the template and submit your entry via mail.

Once the deadline passes, Scott will choose his favorites and a grand prize winner, as well as four age-group winners, will be selected.

The grand prize winner shall receive an autographed replica mask containing the grand prize finalist entry submission and an opportunity to meet Scott at a designed men's hockey game. The four age-group winners (one winner per age category) will receive a signed copy of their mask design by Scott, two tickets to a designated men's hockey home game and the opportunity to meet Scott.

Help Design Scott Gudmandson's Mask

Design Scott's Mask Contest

LINK

Badger goaltender, Scott Gudmandson wants your help! As Scott begins his senior year, he is asking Badger hockey fans to help him design his goalie mask that will be work during the College Hockey Showcase on November 26th and 27th.

Fans are encouraged to use the online mask designer to submit their entry. Sumbissions are due by August 1, 2010.

Scott will then review all the submissions and select the design to be painted on the mask. This design will be considered the grand prize winner and receive a replica helmet with their design, two tickets to a designated men's hockey game and the opportunity to meet Scott.

Additional prizes of a signed photo of their mask designed by Scott, two tickets to a designated men's hockey home game, and the opportunity to meet Scott will be awarded in the following age groups:

-5 and under
-6-7
-8-9
-10-12

Entries will also be accepted by mail. Simple download the entry form, create your best design, and submit it to:

Wisconsin Athletics
ATTN: Design Scott's Mask Contest
Kellner Hall
1440 Monroe Street
Madison, Wisconsin 53711

All main-in entries must be received by August 1, 2010.

OFFICIAL RULES

Wisconsin 3 - Minnesota (Sucks) 2

Box Score

Quite the sloppy game at the Target Center tonight, but UW comes away with the victory. The Badgers had a lot of help from a two-goal performance by Craig Smith- who is doing his best to strengthen his case for the WCHA Freshman of the Year award.

I felt like it was a game with a lot of good and a lot of bad- like I said, this was a sloppy game. There were a lot of really bad, undisciplined penalties by both teams. The gophers took a lot of bad penalties in the first, and UW certainly returned the favor in the second. But, there was also a lot of good intensity and when the Badgers were passing well, they looked pretty darn good.

The rodents took the lead with a shortie off of a very poor turnover by Justin Schultz at the blueline. However, Schultz acquitted himself with a nicely excecuted power play, setting himself up at Wangas' weak side and getting an excellent pass from Michael Davies. In between these two goals, Craig Smith had tied the game with a very nice transition goal on the power play. Ben Street took an errant gopher shot that wound up back in the neutral zone, and dished it on up to Jordy Murray, who had Smith on Wangas' left side on an odd man rush.

Some controversy, as the rodents were on the disappointing end of three close calls/goal reviews. The first was a no-brainer: Goody got his stick back after a Jacob "I guess I should've transferred to UW" Cepis breakaway shot hit the crossbar and his leg. The second was tricky. Towards the end of a 5x3 power play, the gophers Mike Hoeffel thought he had banged a rebound past Goody, but he was determined to be in the crease. The differences between the college and NHL rules for crease violations aren't known by everyone- so I do understand the whining that is due to come from rodentsota- but the facts are the facts: the rules dicate that it was a crease violation, thus no goal. Unless the refs just had the rule wrong. But that's crazy talk. I mean, it's not like a WCHA ref would ever screw up a replay. Right?

The third was a close call, after tying the game off of the faceoff in the third, the goofs thought they had a goal, but the net had clearly come off its moorings beforehand, much to Don Lucia's chagrin. Frankly, all three of these "controveries" are pretty open and shut if you ask me, so the outcry ought to be pretty small.

UW broke the tie late in the game with Craig Smith's second goal. Captain Kickass gave a nice feed from the boards to Smith, who sat uncontested just behind the hash marks. Smith had plenty of time to settle the puck and fired a twisted wrister past Kangas for the GWG.

It's Time To Give Gudmandson The Keys To The Car

I don't think that there is any question about it. At some point, Mike Eaves and the rest of the Badger coaching staff is going to have to find a go-to goaltender to lead the cardinal and white into the battle that is the NCAA Tournament.

In my humble opinion, the time to make the choice is right now. It's time for Coach Eaves to have a meeting with Junior goaltender Scott Gudmandson and tell him that he has the key's to the Badgers car.

Taking a look at the upcoming Wisconsin schedule, we've got five weekends (9 games) of hockey left before we start the WCHA Playoffs. The biggest problem for this seasons Badger squad has been finding a level of consistency. I feel that consistency starts in goal and works it's way out from there.

We've had three weekends of WCHA action in a row where we got a good solid goaltending performance on Friday night, and a poor one on Saturday. (I understand Gudmandson started one of the Saturday games).

Since Brett Bennett has come back from his injury, he has not played well, and admitted in the papers that he was not focused this past Saturday in Duluth. "It's been tough," Bennett said. "I've got to get better. I've got to mentally prepare better.

You would have to be borderline blind not to realize that Gudmandson has clearly had the better season for the Badgers. The difference between Gudmandsons .919 save percentage and Bennett's .896 is like night and day.

Another nugget suggesting that we need to go to Gudmandson full time was this quote from Bennett, "It's weird. I don't know how to explain it. You're almost out of rhythm with so much time between games and stuff."

The Badgers only have one game this week, obviously the Camp Randall Classic, until a weekend series in Madison against Minnesota State. With Bennett fully admitting that it's hard for him to concentrate and be in rhythm without regular playing time, do you trust playing him on Saturday night (2/13) after his only action in the previous 20 days was giving up two weak goals on three shots in an important series in Duluth?

I feel that goaltending is one of the most important factors in winning an NCAA title and for as long as I can remember, there has only been one team to win an NCAA title rotating goaltenders (05 Denver). Last season BU won a title with Kieran Millan playing 35 games for the Terriers. The year before BC won a title by playing John Muse in ALL 44 games BC played. The year before Michigan State rode Jeff Lerg to a title, and before that the Badgers relied on Brian Elliott. Even in 2005 when Denver rotated goaltenders all year, when it came to crunch time, they went with Peter Manino in both Frozen Four games.

To wrap this thing up, to me it's clear that we need to give Gudmandson the vote of confidence and name him our starting goaltender. I was fine with the rotation until Bennett stopped holding up his end of the bargain. It's time to get serious about this thing.

Photo by RedHeat15

Should Eaves Go Back To Gudmandson Tonight?

I haven't gotten an opportunity to see the lineup tonight so if it has already been released somewhere pardon my ignorance. I am looking for some input from readers on whether or not Eaves should go back to Gudmandson tonight in net for the Badgers.

Gudmandson is having a nice season for the Badgers but so has Brett Bennett. When Bennett got hurt a few weeks ago Goody played really well in back to back games at North Dakota. But last weekend, Eaves gave Gudmandson an opportunity to seize the starting position by starting him both nights and on Saturday he didn't play as well. Granted the team didn't give him much help.

I'm torn on the issue because I think Brett Bennett needs some action as he's only played in one game, the exhibition vs the U18 team in like a month. But I also feel like the Badgers need to find one starting goaltender to go to down the stretch eventually.

So what do you guys think? Gudmandson played well enough last night to probably get the start tonight but does Bennett need action too?

Photo by RedHeat15

Gudmandson, Badgers Shut Out Tigers 4-0

The Badgers have been running a two goaltender rotation almost religiously this season. Up until this weekend, (with the exception of when Bennett was injured and the Minnesota series) it was Brett Bennett on Friday night, and Scott Gudmandson on Saturday night. With the elite play of Gudmandson, it may be time to let him take the reins full time.

Coach Eaves changed things up this weekend and decided to give Gudmandson a shot on Friday night and he did not disappoint. Gudmandson was spectacular, backstopping the Badgers to a 4-0 win against eighth ranked Colorado College. The Canadian backstop turned aside 35 Tiger shots en route to his third career shutout as a Badger. Gudmandson's statistics speak for themselves: a 7-2-3 record, a .931 save percentage which is good enough for fourth in the nation, and a 1.89 goals against average, good enough for third in the nation.

But Scotty wasn't the only star wearing cardinal on Friday night. Derek Stepan continued to ride the juice from the World Junior Championship gold medal into a three point night. The sophomore forward had a hand in the first three goals of the game and the Badgers never looked back from there.

Senior forward Michael Davies also continued his hot streak Friday. After an absolutely brilliant effort in the Badger Hockey Showdown (two goals and three assists in two games) he continued the streak with two helpers against CC. Davies has 8 points in his last 4 games played (3 goals, 5 assists). Through 19 games (remember he was a healthy scratch the first two games of the season) Davies has 23 points (8 goals, 15 assists).

Here is the scoring courtesy of collegehockeystats.net

First Period

:43-Ben Street (Michael Davies, Derek Stepan)
5:37-Derek Stepan SH

Second Period

9:22-Brendan Smith (Derek Stepan, Michael Davies)
11:24-Jordy Murray (Blake Geoffrion, Craig Smith)

Third Period

No Scoring

Scott Gudmandson (Wisconsin)-35 shots, 35 saves
Joe Howe (Colorado College)-29 shots, 24 saves

Bennett injured in practice

Baggot reports that Brett Bennett injured his shoulder during practice after a big collision during a drill.

At this time the severity is unknown, we'll update when more in known. It looks like Scott Gudmandson could be the go to guy for awhile, w/ Mitch Thompson suiting up as the back up.

09/10 Men's Previews: #1 Scott Gudmandson

Vitals:

Position: Goalie
Year in School: Junior
Catches Left
Height: 5-10
Weight: 179
Hometown: Sherwood Park, Alberta
Major: Undeclared
Previous Team: Salmon Arm (BCHL) in 06/07

NHL Considerations: He’s a Badger goalie, you never know.

08/09 Stats: 4 games, 1-2-0, 3.83 GAA, 0.881 save %
07/08 Stats: 6 games, 1-1-2, 2.63 GAA, 0.880 save %

09/10 Role: Fighting for starting job

08/09 Recap: The season did not start well for the Badgers and Scott definitely had his difficulties. He was shelled by both New Hampshire and Denver on consecutive Saturdays. He later started against Tech at home and shut them out, but didn’t start another game the rest of the season. W/ the team balancing on the fence of the PWR the entire 2nd half the season, Coach Eaves stuck w/ Shane Connelly.

Biggest Strength: This will sound bad, but w/ such limited viewing last season I’m not sure. Like Connelly, he is athletic and has all the skills to be the starter. Can he put it together this season?

Biggest Weakness: It has to be the lack of NCAA experience. His stats digressed last season, confidence might be his own mountain to climb as well.

09/10 Thoughts: The starting job is up for grabs; Shane Connelly is gone, reportedly looking for work at the next level (good luck Shane). I think Eaves will give Gudmandson a chance to assert himself as the starter as a returning member of the Cardinal and White, but I think Brett Bennett is the better goalie and will get more time in net this coming season. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a rotation until one goalie takes the reigns and puts the other on the bench more regularly. Hopefully the competition brings out the best in both goalies early and often.

Prediction: 12 games, 6-4-2, 2.80 GAA, 0.900 save %*
*All predictions for regular season only

Photo from uwbadgers.com

Actual vs Predicted: Goalies

Before the season started, I did a preview for every player on the Men’s Hockey team. In that preview, I included a prediction on the regular season production, and now w/ the season over I thought it would be a good time to take a look back at the team.

Also, I thought it would be fun to include a grade for each player. The grade I’m going to give will be a combination of how successful I think a player’s season was, and how well they exceeded, met or left fans wanting based on expectations coming into the season. Players like Tom Gorowsky and Andy Bohmbach will score higher for example, while Michael Davies would score lower based on expectations. Grades will be the regular A thru F w/ I (for incomplete) for a handful who didn’t see much action. This isn’t a new age grading scale where everyone gets an A to avoid any hard feelings, though I don’t plan to hand out any really bad grades.

Obviously these grades are my opinion and a reminder all stats are regular season only, so if you see the total stats for the season elsewhere they won’t be the same for most players.

So let’s start w/ the goaltenders.

Jeff Henderson & Ryan Jeffery – Grade: I (incomplete)

Neither player saw any game action in their final season in Madison, but their role in practice helping to make the rest of the team better should not be understated. I was hoping they would each see a little action in a game that was in hand, but when were any games this season in hand before the final buzzer? GL to both young men in their future endeavors.

Scott Gudmandson – Grade: I
Actual stats: 3 starts, 1-2-0, 3.83 GAA, 0.881 save %
Predicted stats: 8 starts, 4-3-1, 2.52 GAA

Gudmandson didn’t get enough games IMO to get a grade. He started a few games early in the season, was horrible in the first two, and shut out Tech in the third. Down the stretch he didn’t see much action at all, though he looked decent Saturday night at home against Denver when Connelly was pulled after the 1st period. Tough spot to come into, the team was reeling w/ no heart left to play the game. Gudmandson needs to step it up next season if he wants to be the starter. Brett Bennett is having a great season in the USHL and will be thirsty to make up for lost time in college hockey.

Shane Connelly – Grade: B
Actual stats: 33 starts, 16-13-4, 2.60 GAA, 0.910 save % (those are both close for the regular season)
Predicted stats: 28 starts, 17-7-4, 2.25 GAA

I’m not going to beat around the bush, I think Connelly had a pretty good season. There are a lot of Badger fans out there that like to lump the Badgers lack of success on his shoulders and say that he isn’t a “championship” level goaltender. Is he Brian Elliott? No, who is? As fans, we were spoiled by Elliott and unfortunately for Connelly he was the next goalie in line, so the expectations were high, though I think unfairly high. Let’s take a look at how he compared to other WCHA goalies. The only goalies that really stick out from the group are Alex Stalock and Marc Cheverie. In save % during conferences games, there is a log jam between .913 and .909%. Where does Connelly fall into that group? Right behind Richard Bachman, and right ahead of Jase Weslosky and Brad Eidsness, all who are NHL draft picks (w/ Bachman having signed a contract already w/ Dallas). Way behind is Alex Kangas. His GAA is 4th overall as well.

Could Connelly have made a few more timely saves and the team in turn won a few more games? No doubt, the Saturday N. Michigan and Friday Denver game stick out in my head. Could the team have actually finished on some of the goal scoring opportunities to lift the team to victory when Connelly put them into position to win? You better believe they could have, this team had a problem not only finishing games this season, but finishing around the net. There were several nights in the 2nd half of the season where the Badgers were the better team, but that didn’t translate onto the scoreboard.

This season the team never bailed Connelly out when he had an off night, and what goalie isn’t going to have an off night? On the flip side, Connelly put the team in position to win several games, but the team didn’t do its part to win. A few examples would be Saturday night against Colorado College and Duluth (especially this game), against Lake State in the showdown and Friday night at home against North Dakota. If the team’s offensive has some timely goal scoring in ONE of these games, or if there isn’t a huge blunder by one of the skaters, the team dances in the NCAA tourney. Pretty hard to just blame Connelly for the team’s struggles.

Would the team have swept their hated rival the gophers on the road if not for big save after big save by Shane Connelly? Did we not all enjoy this series?

Lastly, after starting 0-6-1, by Christmas the team had turned things around to 9-7-2. During the 9-1-1 stretch, Connelly had a roughly 1.90 GAA. Would the team have turned things around w/ out him backstopping them? There might not have been any hope at an NCAA tourney berth after Christmas if not for Connelly’s great play during that stretch. He struggled down the stretch on a few nights, but the overall body of work this season was pretty good, and fans seem to quickly forget the successes after a few stinging disappointments.

I have no problem being on record saying Shane Connelly was a good goaltender and I would like to thank him for his efforts during his Badger career helping to put the team in position to be successful and wish him the best in the future whether that is in a hockey rink or in the “exciting” working world. I’m not saying he is an all-time great and he definitely could have been more consistent at times, but he had a fine Badger career and we should thank him for this.

I feel better now; this has bothered me for a few weeks. When the team won, Connelly is great, when the team lost it was all his fault and the dissenters came out of the woodwork to disappear again after the next win. I now rest my case.

Player Preview: #1 Scott Gudmandson

Happy September! Over the next 30 days, I will be previewing each and every Badger who will suit up and take the ice this coming season. Thankfully the roster has been updated, so each day in September will correspond to the players #, w/ the exception of Shane Connelly.

Today we start w/ goalie Scott Gudmandson.

Vitals:

Year in School: Sophomore
Catches Left
Height: 5-10
Weight: 179
Hometown: Sherwood Park, Alberta
Previous Team: Salmon Arm Silverbacks (BCHL) in 06/07

07/08 Stats: 6 games, 1-1-2, 2.63 GAA, 0.880 Save %
06/07 Stats: 24 games, 15-8-0, 2.84 GAA, 0.912 Save %

08/09 Role: Backup Goalie

Thoughts: Entering his sophomore season, Scott returns as the backup to Shane Connelly. Scott's playing time was limited last season, as he was new to Bill Howard's "system", and Connelly did a more than adequate job in net. Scott's role should expand this year as the coaching staff will prepare him to take over the reigns in goal in 09/10. One big question mark hanging over the entire Wisconsin program and especially the goaltenders is the sudden departure of Bill Howard as volunteer assistant coach. Howard did mention several times on the radio last season that Scott was making great progress in learning the system. Still, compared to Connelly, Scott only has one year of this legendary tutelage. Overall, Scott is a talented net minder, and should have little problem progressing this season regardless.

Bill Howard's departure still doesn't change my mind that Scott is going to be an outstanding backstop during his upperclassmen seasons. Wisconsin might have another All-American on their hands in the future.

Prediction: 8 games, 4-3-1, 2.52 GAA

Season Preview: Sophomores

So far I’ve covered the seniors and the juniors, now its time to take a look at the most diverse class: the sophomores. The sophomores are almost completely intact from last year w/ the exception of Kyle Turris’ departure to the Phoenix Coyotes. This group’s performance this season will be important to the overall success of the Badgers, especially the Dmen. Those Dmen make up the heart of the experience on the blue line and include Ryan McDonagh, Cody Goloubef, Brendan Smith and Craig Johnson. At forward, Patrick Johnson, Sean Dolan and Podge Turnbull return, while Scott Gudmandson returns between the pipes to back-up Shane Connelly. 60min pointed out that Tom Bardis will be a sophomore, I still don’t know anymore about him than I did last week.

Let’s take a step back before we move forward. In comparison between the freshman class of 2006 (the juniors) and that of 2007 (the sophomores), I think the highly touted class of 2007 far exceeded what was accomplished by the 2006 class, which was rather touted as well. I think the numbers themselves would tell this tale, but just the performances I remember from both seasons, the current sophomores were a bigger factor in the team every night than the freshman in 06/07.

During the 06/07 season the only freshman who really impacted the team was Jamie McBain. Others played a role throughout the season (Davies, Bendickson, Grottting), but Blake Geoffrion really underperformed based on expectations.

On the flip side, several members of the class of 2007 over preformed based on expectations especially Ratty Johnson and Dolan. McDonagh definitely cleared the bar set for him, while Goloubef did the same in the 2nd half of the season. Turnbull and Smith were disappointments to varying degrees.

One player I didn’t mention was Gudmandson. The sample size of his games was too small to really gauge his success last season. Listening to the radio during road weekends, Coach Howard is pretty high on Gudmandson and it sounds like his progression through the system is moving along well. While I expect Gudmandson to play in a few more contests this season, Connelly is still the starter and Gudmandson will be waiting for his chance, which he’ll definitely get in 08/09.

As mentioned earlier, Ratty Johnson, Dolan and Turnbull return as forwards. Ratty had a good summer when he was unexpectedly drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the 7th round of the NHL Entry Draft. This speaks volumes for Ratty’s season. Ratty is likely never going to be a scoring force for the Badgers, which was part of the legend of his father Mark Johnson, but Ratty is already creating his own niche in the minds and hearts of Badger fans. Though small in stature, he plays like a giant, not backing down from anyone in his conquest to “own” all of his opponents in the WCHA.

Dolan’s performance last season was even more of a surprise than Johnson, at least to me. Dolan and C. Johnson were the last two members added to the class after early departures. I figured Dolan was going to be in street clothes most of the season, instead he anchored the “grind” line, which was by far the most consistent line on the team. Turnbull started the season w/ Turris and Ben Street, but quickly was moved back to the 4th line where he spent most of the season. Turnbull was a good scorer in the USHL and his freshman season was definitely an adjustment to the higher level of play.

In this small group of forwards, Wisconsin has a strong trio of what could be 4 year players. I expect small increases in production from all three of these young men this season. The potential is there for them to be among the top scorers as a juniors/seniors. If Geoffrion departs for the pros following this season, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Ratty Johnson wear the Captain’s C the following 2 seasons.

Last week in reviewing the juniors, I discussed the importance of the junior forwards production to the success of the Badgers. This week the 2nd key to the success of Wisconsin’s season is the play of the sophomore blue liners. With McBain as the only upperclassmen on the blue line, the sophomores are going to have to play beyond their age and experience. The headliners for this group are a trio of high draft picks. Out of them McDonagh and Goloubef have already proven themselves capable of handling the rigors of WCHA play. McD was strong all season, and should return to the top pairing w/ McB, where they will arguably be the best in the NCAA. McD returns as our top PK guy, though I doubt he’ll see a lot of PP time due to our depth of offensive Dmen. Overall, McD is in a close race w/ McB for the best defensemen on the team.

Goloubef had a strong second half, which really bolstered his draft stock. I expect much of the same from him this season. His offensive numbers from last season don’t really touch on how talented he is in that facet of his game. He was stuck behind McB, Smith, Klubertanz and Drewskie on the PP depth chart for most of last season. I think his role on the PP will be expanded this season (he’ll probably get a lot of PK time too), and might be paired w/ Smith in some capacity.

Smith returns from a rather up and down freshman year. He started the year off well, playing a role in Wisconsin’s initial offensive outburst, but honestly went down hill from that point. Half way through the season Smith suffered a back injury which kept him out of action until the NCAA Regional where Eaves tried him at wing against North Dakota. Smith seemed to get down on himself following poor play, which he needs to snap out of. I would also argue that pairing him w/ Klubertanz was a mistake. Everything I read points me to believe Smith is working hard to improve his defensive game. Overall he is too talented of a player to not improve and impact the team in a positive way this season. Unlike McD and Goloubef, Smith is a big question mark coming into this season.

Lastly is walk-on C. Johnson. Johnson didn’t see any action until the WJC’s, and in a limited role I thought he played pretty well. Johnson never played special teams and in most games sat the bench in the 3rd period. He certainly wasn’t flashy, but he did a good job in his end of the ice. Johnson’s impact on the team will again be minimal this season, but if he continues to progress and grow under the tutelage of Coach Osiecki, he will be an important member of the team in his upperclassman seasons. It is likely that Johnson will be the only Dman from this class to see his senior year, and his experience and leadership will be important in the future.

I hope you pick up on how important the sophomore Dmen will be this season for the Badgers. McD will be expected to log a ton of minutes at EV and PK, Goloubef a lot of minutes at EV and PP, and some at PK, and Smith a lot of minutes at EV and PP. Outside of McB (who will log a ton of minutes in all facets), these will be the go to blue liners. When things need to get done there aren’t seniors to look to for help, they are going to have to do it themselves. While I feel strongly McD and Goloubef will do there job, I need to see Smith play well in both ends before I’ll be confident in him. Very similar to the group of junior forwards, if this group doesn’t bring their best every night, it could be a long season. Check out the new poll question to vote for which of these blue liners will have the biggest impact.

Overall I think the sophomore class is the most important on this team moving forward. The blue line has to be manned correctly for the team to succeed and that rests on their shoulders. Ratty Johnson and Dolan both play significant roles on the team in their own way, and this needs to continue. While Gudmandson’s effect on the Badgers won’t be felt unless Connelly is injured or benched, Wisconsin could have another All-American on their hands in 08/09 in net.

Next week, these previews wrap up w/ the freshman. While Jake Gardiner and Derek Stepan are high draft picks who are expected to contribute out of the gate, their teammates will be looking to hit the ice hard and make an impact.