Feb. 18, 2011
Recap | Final Stats
MADISON, Wis. -- Post-game quotes from head coach Mike Eaves and seniors Sean Dolan, Scott Gudmandson and Patrick Johnson following the Badgers' 5-2 loss to Minnesota.
Wisconsin head coach Mike Eaves
On whether his team looked stale:
“I don’t know if you’re much of a biker … it looks like we were biking into the wind. We didn’t make enough hockey plays tonight. It looks like we were really fighting it, and that was the difference in the game.
On the goals that we gave up, we were there but we weren’t there. The first power-play goal, we slide down to get the guy but the guy gets enough on it, it goes up, over the goalie and rolls into the net. Four-on-four goal, we don’t win a faceoff, we don’t block out, it’s in the net. We have another power-play goal where we have a chance … we block the shot, it’s sitting right there, we didn’t know where it was, couldn’t get it out and it ends up in the back of our net. The last power-play goal we know the guy’s there, we’re there but we’re not there.
We didn’t make enough hockey plays without the puck or with the puck. I don’t know quite what the count was in terms of hit crossbars and posts but we had our share of those tonight. Jake Gardiner’s got an open net but he breaks his stick.
We just seem to be riding into the wind right now and what we have to do, when you ride into the wind, you have to gear down. You go to a different gear, you keep the revolutions up and you keep plowing ahead and find a way to get it done. The best thing about tonight is that we’ve got a chance tomorrow to play and get some redemption.”
On whether his team got outworked:
“No. We went toe-to-toe. They had the momentum. We went after it. Did we always do the things we wanted to do physically? No. But we had that intensity. The kids on the bench in the third period were doing the right things. In the second they were talking about doing the right things, sometimes we just didn’t do them.”
On losing momentum during the first part of the second period:
“Again, not making hockey plays. We got ourselves a goal, we’re back in it, got a little momentum, and we were there buyt we weren’t there. Didn’t make the plays that we needed to and they get the lead. Then Michael Mersch comes down and hits the crossbar. I look at that as a key point. If that shot goes in then it’s 3-2 and maybe something different happens. But again, we didn’t make the hockey plays that we needed to, with or without the puck tonight.”
Senior goalie Scott Gudmandson
On any differences between tonight’s game and last week’s series:
“I think I struggled the last two games actually. I just didn’t stop the puck.”
On the challenges tonight:
“I think it was a combination of everything. Two of their goals, the first one and the second one, they both were just unfortunate bounces. That first one just went off someone and ended up going over top of me and landed in the net. Then the second one, Craig (Smith) blocked it and it just dropped right on the guy’s stick. I made the first save and he was able to pop the rebound in. I think probably the third and fourth goals I should have had.”
Senior center Sean Dolan
On losing momentum during the first part of the second period:
“It was good for us to get that goal to start off the period but to kind of have that momentum swing definitely hurt us. We kind of played on our heels the rest of the game and weren’t on our toes and it came back to bite us in the end.”
On whether the team feels stale after the break:
“I think we just need to get back to playing our game. It’s hard to come back from a break like we had and go to Omaha, it’s a tough place to play and not get any points there was tough. If we just keep playing like we know how to play and get the bounces we need, it’ll be a different story in the end.”
Senior left wing Patrick Johnson
On whether Minnesota was the grittier team:
“I don’t think they were the grittier team. They definitely got the bounces that they needed. The momentum was all on their side I wouldn’t say we gave up at all. We were fighting until the end. Obviously the pucks weren’t going our way. We weren’t making hockey plays, like coach was saying. Things just weren’t going our way, which we were struggling with, but we kept it going and I think we were pretty gritty out there.”
On whether the team is frustrated:
“Yes and no. You’ve got to look at the positives. We worked hard. We just didn’t make the plays that we needed to make at the right time. There’s a couple … we were at the mercy of the crossbar there. It goes 3-2 there, it’s a different game, lot of momentum on our side. Yeah, you can get frustrated. Playing Minnesota, it’s a big game. It’s obviously a big rivalry and you want to win those. I don’t think I would say frustrated it the word. I would say keep your head up and just keep working hard.”
