"We partied, and trashed the trophy!"
Somewhere along the summer celebration route, the tradition of doing crazy things to the NCAA plaque got all bent out of shape. And so did the trophy. But summer has been replaced by autumn, and the trophy has been replaced... with a new one.
"Let’s just say there was an incident," said senior goaltender Brian Elliott.
No one can blame these Badgers for getting carried away and perhaps a bit too jocular. After all, it’s been 16 years since a team from Wisconsin last skated around the ice having achieved the ultimate prize.
"Right now, we can stick our chests out a little further," Badgers coach Mike Eaves said. "We kind of have bragging rights for a year, and we'll wear that proudly for a year, then see what happens this year."
Eaves didn't have much time to flex. The window to celebrate was awfully short for Wisconsin. When your season ends in April, and the practice pucks empty out of the bag in September, the returning group knows they won't keep that number one finger raised in the air for very long.
"You still have that in the back of your mind, that you're a national champion, but at the same time, that makes it hard for us," said senior forward Andrew Joudrey. "We've got a big target on our backs now, we have to prove ourselves all over again."
Wisconsin was able to cobble together a magical season -- one they had an inkling could end exactly the way it did if they played up to their potential. They did, and the reward was a Frozen Four berth in the fan friendly Bradley Center in Milwaukee. The Badgers tussled with and won a championship bout with Boston College 2-1, but the end of the fairy tale signaled the beginning of plugging some holes.
"We lost seven players, and they are all key players -- a third of our team is gone," Eaves said. "We almost have to evolve again like we did with that group of players."
That group includes junior forward Robbie Earl (Toronto) and sophomore forward Joe Pavelski (San Jose), both skating off to the NHL, and taking their 47 combined goals with them. When you add in the seniors who graduated, Wisconsin lost 60 percent of its goal scoring. So, just who sticks the biscuit in the basket for Bucky this season?
"The riddle that we're going to have to solve is, who’s going to step up and be that offensive player or players for us," Eaves said. "We have three players returning of the ten who had double digit goals, Ben Street, Ross Carlson and Jack Skille. Those young men have to bring it to another level."
Eaves would also like to see a freshman emerge and contribute right out of the chute, the same way Skille and Street did a season ago when the two freshmen combined to light the lamp 23 times. But it may take just a goal or two each night for this squad to total up the W’s.
"When you talk about a hockey team, you always start between the pipes, you build from there, and we know what we have," Eaves said, referring to his senior goaltender Elliott. "We have perhaps arguably one of the best goalies in college hockey."
The Newmarket, Ontario product was a Hobey Baker finalist last season who was the stingiest of stingy in the net. Elliott led the nation with a .814 winning percentage (27-5-3), 1.55 goals-against average and .938 save percentage -- plus he recorded eight shutouts.
"It’s hard to think I can repeat the type of numbers I had, but why not?" Elliott said. "That’s what I'm doing, that’s what I'm aiming for."
"I have a rough time scoring on him in practice, he’s a brick wall!" Joudrey said.
Best way to bring down a wall? Get inside his mind and rattle this kitchen. But Elliott is seasoned and secure, and doesn't plan on crumbling anytime soon.
"Goaltending is a lot of mind strength and ability to focus," Elliott explained. "The patience you need and the focus you need on the puck is unparallel. That’s one of my strengths. I can keep my head in the game all the time. Even if it’s a 20 shot game or a 40 shot game, I feel like I'm ready for each shot."
"He’s such a level-headed athlete," Eaves said. "He'll give you the same consistent effort mentally, physically, emotionally, game in and game out. That’s a great quality to have in an athlete, and I think that in itself will help settle us down and get us through some key moments this year."
Elliott isn't about to rest on his laurels, or tout the national championship during his senior season. But an encore performance? Certainly worth taking aim at.
"That’s our goal. We don't look at it as we're the defending national champions, we want to achieve that next championship," said Elliott.
One tip, Brian. If you guys win the whole thing again, be gentle with the hardware.
Bob currently does play-by-play at Time Warner Cable Sports 32, calling Wisconsin Timber Rattlers games in Appleton as well as the area high school football and basketball scene. During an earlier association with FS Wisconsin, his list of teams and duties have included the Packers, Bucks, Brewers and the WIAA State Championships.
During his life before cable, Bob spent seven seasons as a reporter and producer of "Preps Plus: The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel High School Sports Show."
And the joke is, Bob has a golf shirt from all four Milwaukee television stations. Sad, but true: Bob has had sports and news anchor/reporter/producer stints at WTMJ, WISN, WDJT and WITI.
His first duty out of college (UW-Oshkosh) was radio and TV work in Eau Claire. Bob spent nearly a decade at WEAU-TV as a sports director and reporter.
You may have heard Bob's pipes around town as well. He has done play-by-play for the Milwaukee Mustangs, Milwaukee Iron, and UW-Milwaukee men's and women's basketball. Bob was the public address announcer for five seasons for both the Marquette men and women's basketball squads. This season, you can catch the starting lineups of the UW-Milwaukee Panther men's games with Bob behind the mic.
A Brookfield Central graduate, Bob's love and passion for sports began at an early age, when paper football leagues, and Wiffle Ball All Star Games were all the rage in the neighborhood.
