Nov. 13, 2009

Recap |  Box Score

Eaves on getting out to a quick start: "We still hit four posts during the course of the game so there were some glimmers there so that was a good thing. Once again, we got off to a great start and a lead. That fourth goal in the second period with Mike Davies getting that power play goal was big because it kept the momentum. It made a goal differential and took some wind out of their sails. That was a big goal."

Eaves on Craig Smith earning his first goal: "Well, I talked [with him] about getting the first goal in practice and he's been looking forward to it. So that's a big weight off his shoulders, he played well. He had a couple of other dandy chances. I remember late in the game, a great pass out front in the two on one. He's a young man who's used to getting points and scoring and it was good for him to get that because he gets back that feeling and we need for him to get that feeling."

Eaves on the missed opportunities: "At times it looked like Derek [Stepan] had that puck on a string tonight. It was just a matter of you getting chances. If you're not getting chances, I'd really be concerned but the fact is you're getting chances. The one thing I learned from history courses is that history repeats itself. These guys are goal scorers, they'll get the goals scored for us"

Eaves on Aaron Bendickson's contributions: "I think that Aaron will be, and is, formulating into a role and be the best at it. If he's a quote-un-quote fourth line center, [that] kills penalties, [and] doesn't get a lot of power-play time, but he can come off the bench, give us energy, he has skill, he can skate and chip in offensively. We tell that story about Nick Licari the year we won it, telling his teammates, "I wish I would've done the power-play but if I have to be the best fourth line left winger penalty killer guy I'm going to do it." That's what he was and he was a big part of what we got done. And I see Bendy molding into that same type of thing for our team. And that's a healthy thing for our team."

Aaron Bendickson on the description of being a role player: "I don't even think anything about it. I just know that I control what I can control. That's one of the best things I've ever heard. That's what coach always says. That's what I do and you can't really say anything more than that. I enjoy being out there every second that I can."

Craig Smith on getting his first Badger goal: "[It was] Just getting the monkey off my back. I was just trying to play simple and play hard and I knew eventually one was going to pop in."

Brett Bennett on being relaxed out on the ice: "Just going out and playing the game like I was a little kid. It's fun playing without a care. I just got back to the basics."

Smith on the physicality of the match: "Yeah there was a lot of chippiness going around, but that's part of the game. Everyone's playing hard and that's bound to happen."

Smith on the missed chances and whether the team reflects on them: "Yes and no. Guys think about it differently. Obviously you want to score, but we put up five goals. The team is playing good. I thought at times we looked awesome. We were snapping the puck around, moving our feet. Guys want to bury the puck, obviously. You're going to dwell on it but we've got to come back tomorrow and play hard."