Yardbarker: Wisconsin Badgers

Navy Review, Wisconsin Preview

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:30:00 -0500

Dave Reardon reviews five big plays from UH's 24-17 victory over Navy in this week's Warrior Replay article.Bill Wagner of HometownAnnapolis.com has some quotes from Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo regarding the game."We are never going to review this tape with the team. I want this game to be over with," Niumatalolo said. "We played bad. Obviously, I did a bad job of getting us ready. We have to forget about this game and move on.""I'm not sure our players rea...

Week Thirteen BlogPoll Ballot Draft

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 05:00:16 -0500

When compiling this week’s BlogPoll ballot, I paid no attention to last week’s top 25 (ergo, you should ignore the arrows) and I did not consult any other person’s or organization’s rankings, so the fault for what follows is mine and mine alone. I began by cobbling together a list of all BCS conference teams with records of 9-3 or better and all mid-major teams with records of 10-2 or better. This list came to twenty teams, so I went back and added in the six BCS conference clubs with 8-3...

Five Steps With Stepan

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 21:25:00 -0500

Friday night hockey saw 14 New York Ranger prospects in action as there were some great performances as well as some entertaining hockey to more than make up for the Ranger's poor performance against Tampa Bay.

First Star Derek Stepan

For a while I was wondering when I was going to get a chance to rave about one of my favorite prospects Derek Stepan (2008 2nd) as he was the prospect I was expecting to have a monster season at Wisconsin. I had Stepan for 20 goals at the very least this season but only 3 goals after 12 games was a bit of a disappointment.

Friday night Stepan gave a display of what he was capable of doing as his Wisconsin Badgers did a number on 7th ranked Michigan State 7-3 at the annual College Hockey Showcase. Stepan with a goal and 4 assists for a career high 5 points was a huge reason why the Badgers whipped on the Spartans.

Stepan got his night going when he fed Brendan Smith for Wisconsin's first goal of the night at 9:23, Stepan then added a secondary assist on the Badger's second goal just 3:02 later on the power play.

In the second period, Stepan got his 3rd point of the night when he fed Mike Davies for Wisconsin's 4th goal and eventual game winner. Stepan then followed that up with his 4th goal of the season when he found a rebound and put it past Spartan goalie Drew Palmisano for a 5-1 Wisconsin lead.

Stepan and Mike Davies teamed up for Wisconsin's 7th and final goal of the night as Davies scored on the power play at 17:15 of the 3rd period. It was simply the best single performance by a Ranger prospect this season.

For his efforts, Stepan was named the game's second star as he went from 3-6-9 to 4-10-14 in one game. All of which sets up tomorrow's excellent match up as Stepan and Wisconsin head to Michigan to face Carl Hagelin and the Michigan Wolverines to see which team wins the College Hockey Showcase.

Second Star Carl Hagelin

Carl Hagelin (2007 6th) and his Michigan Wolverines appear to have shaken off whatever was wrong with them by whipping on the Minnesota Golden Gophers 6-0 in the first game of the College Hockey Showcase.

Hagelin took over as the leading goal scorer for Michigan by scoring his 6th and 7th goals in his 3rd two goal effort already this season. Hagelin's 2nd goal of the night was a shorthanded tally, his first of this season but his 4th of his career at Michigan.

Hagelin this season has scored his points in bunches and by that we mean during games as in each of the games he has scored multiple points; he did them one right after another. Against Minnesota it was an even strengthen goal at 17:45 of the second period then at 6:58 of the 3rd.

Hagelin on the season improves to 7-4-11 in 13 games which are not bad numbers but for Michigan to keep winning to turn this season around; Hagelin is going to need to become more consistent with his scoring.

Third Star Scott Stajcer

During the pre-season when we said that we thought Scott Stajcer (2009 5th) had all the makings of becoming an NHL goalie. We liked his size, his talent and skill package and that as a OHL rookie he already had faced the likes of Michael Del Zotto, Evgeny Grachev and John Taveres and held his own.

Against Daniel Maggio and the Sudbury Wolves it really did not look like Stajcer was going to have a good night. Giving up 1 goal in the first period facing only 5 shots then a second in the second on 15 shots left Stajcer and the Attack trailing 2-1 after 2 periods.

In the 3rd period, the Attack tightened up their defense to support Stajcer by limiting the Wolves to just 8 shots and scored 3 goals to come from behind for a 4-2 win. Stajcer earned his 9th win of the season and his 2nd straight win after 2 straight losses.

For Stajcer we have seen that in his 9 wins his goals against is 2.42, in his 14 other appearances it is 5.03. It is hard to be a goalie on a rebuilding team since your numbers are never going to reflect the real you.

Stajcer we have to hope can find ways to maintain his confidence during the season and hope that the Attack get better over time.

The Rest of the Ranger Prospects

Daniel Maggio (2009 6th) was scoreless in that loss to the Attack and was a -2. Maggio was not to blame for the loss but he does need to find the offense he had at the beginning of the season.

Ryan McDonagh (2009 Trade) was scoreless in the Wisconsin win over Michigan State.

Chris Doyle's (2008 5th) 11th goal of the season broke a 3-3 tie as his Prince Edward Island Rocket held off the Lewiston MAINEaics 6-4. Doyle earned the game's 2nd star for his efforts as he added a secondary assist as well.

Doyle is now 11-13-24 on the season as he took 5 shots on goal, was 4-4 on his faceoffs and 1 good hit.

Chris Kreider (2009 1st) scored his 2nd goal of the season as his 15th ranked Boston College Eagles and the Clarkson Golden Knights played a highly entertaining game of pond hockey. The Eagles jumped out to a 6-3 before holding on for a 6-5 win.

Kreider's goal came as part of a 3 goal outburst in the 2nd period. Kreider's goal should have been a backbreaker as he scored with just 21 seconds remaining in the period. If we were Boston College we would be very concerned as the 4-9-1 Golden Knights scored their 5 goals on just 18 shots.

Craig Cunningham (Traverse City) earned himself the game's 3rd star by scoring the game winning goal with just 32 seconds remaining in regulation as his Vancouver Giants scored 3 times in the 3rd period to win 5-4.

Cunningham had a great 3rd period as he set up the first 2 Vancouver goals in the period before scoring the game winner. Cunningham despite going 1-2-3 was also a -3 for the evening as the leading scorer among Ranger prospects is now 14-25-39 for the season.

Roman Horak (2009 5th) was held scoreless and a -2 as his Chilliwack Bruins lost 2-1 to the Kelowna Rockets. It was not a bad effort by the Bruins as they just could not get anything past Kelowna goalie Adam Brown.

Sam Klassen (2009 UFA) and his Saskatoon Blades are starting to pull away from the rest of the WHL after coming back to earn a 3-2 shootout win over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Klassen did not score as his Blades earned points in their 13th straight game and won their 5th straight.

Ethan Werek (2009 2nd) was held scoreless as his Kingston Frontenacs dropped their 3rd straight game 6-2 to the Saginaw Spirit. Werek was a -2 for the game as his Frontenacs out shot the Spirit 55-34 but could not get more than the 2 goals.

Max Campbell (2007 5th) had an assist but his Western Michigan Broncos dug themselves a 3-0 hole against Nebraska-Omaha. WMU rallied to tie the game up at 3-3 only to give up the game winning goal 18 seconds later and lost 4-3.

Luke Pither (Traverse City) saw his own 5 game scoring streak come to an end but his Barrie Colts behind 4 third period goals won their 13th straight game over the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors 5-2.

Mitch Gaulton (2007 6th) missed his Erie Otter's 5-4 win over the Guelph Storm with what is being called a "lower body injury". Gaulton is listed as "day to day" but we still would like to send you to a nice article written by our friend Victor Fernandes of the GoErie.com.

Luke Walker (Traverse City) as we expected received a 1 game suspension for the elbow major he took on Wednesday night. Walker missed his Portland Winterhawk's 6-4 win over the Seattle Thunderbirds.

(Stepan courtesy of Melody Hasse, Hagelin courtesy of the Michigan Wolverines, Stajcer courtesy of the Owen Sound Attack)

Wisconsin clips Maryland for 3rd place at Maui

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:57:09 -0500

Jason Bohannon scored 20 points and Jon Leuer added 16 to lead Wisconsin to a 78-69 win over Maryland in the third-place game of the Maui Invitational on Wednesday at the Lahaina Civic Center.

Wisconsin ousts No. 21 Maryland in Maui Invitational

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:28:00 -0500

Jason Bohannon scored 20 points and Jon Leuer added 16 to lead Wisconsin to a 78-69 win over No. 21 Maryland in the third-place game of the Maui Invitational on Wednesday at the Lahaina Civic Center.

Badgers bounce No. 21 Terps

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:28:00 -0500

Jason Bohannon scored 20 points and Jon Leuer added 16 to lead Wisconsin to a 78-69 win over No. 21 Maryland in the third-place game of the Maui Invitational on Wednesday at the Lahaina Civic Center.

Wisconsin edges Arizona at Maui

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 03:24:07 -0500

Trevon Hughes scored 24 points and Keaton Nankivil had a pair of crucial dunks in the final 90 seconds to lead Wisconsin to a 65-61 win over Arizona in the first round of the Maui Invitational on Monday night.

Tolzien leads No. 21 Wisconsin's rout of Michigan

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:16:20 -0500

MADISON, Wis.(AP) Scott Tolzien tied a career high with four touchdown passes and scored on a sneak, and No. 21 Wisconsin made Michigan's miserable Big Ten season even worse with a 45-24 victory Saturday.

Tolzien, No. 21 Wisconsin add to Michigan's woes

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:11:00 -0500

Scott Tolzien tied a career high with four touchdown passes and scored on a sneak, and No. 21 Wisconsin made Michigan's miserable Big Ten season even worse with a 45-24 victory Saturday.

Wisconsin Pre-Game

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:17:00 -0500

Tonight I’m heading to see my first Wisconsin game of the year, their exhibition against UW-Superior. In lieu of doing any sort of preview this year (let’s face it–if you’re reading this, you probably know just as much, if not more about the Badgers than I do), I’d like to take this opportunity about some of the things I’m excited for and that I’ll be looking out for this year when I’m watching Wisconsin games. So here are my thoughts, to this point untainted by actual observation of the curr...

Cup Cakes taste good.

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:49:00 -0500

Check out this latest blog post by Wisconsin Badgers hockey beat writer Andy Baggot, it would appear in the future that Wisconsin Badgers are going to load up on cupcake opponents and rack up wins so they can make the NCAA tourney. If I read the article right, the Badgers are going to focus on having a winning record so they can make the tourney, quantity not quality. I think the NCAA screwed up when they decreased the power rating equation from 50 percent to 21, now there will be no need for scheduling quality opponents and teams might just decide to load up on bottom feeders in the CCHA, AHA and ECAC teams to pad their stats and rack up wins and stats.

NCAA tourney formula drives changes

Eaves said recent adjustments in how strength of schedule factors into an NCAA tournament resume is driving the changes. In the past three years, the value of an opponent's winning percentage has decreased significantly in the power rating equation (from 50 percent to 21) and a school with a record under .500 can no longer qualify for an at-large berth regardless of its schedule strength or where it stands in the Pairwise Rankings.
Alabama-Huntsville, projected to be an NCAA Division I independent in 2010-11, and Massachusetts, a consistent second-division club in Hockey East, will play series here next season.

Mike Cerniglia, the UW director of hockey operations, said another non-conference home series will likely be added for 2010-11 because the Icebreaker is exempt from the normal 34-game regular season and UW prefers to have 20 home dates per season.

Even though the WCHA is adding two schools next year -- Nebraska-Omaha and Bemidji State will make it a 12-team league -- it will continue to have 28 conference games [Madison.Com]

Knee injury ends season for key Badgers LB

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:39:38 -0500

Wisconsin linebacker Mike Taylor suffered a "significant" injury to his right knee against Iowa and will miss the rest of the season. Coach Bret Bielema confirmed Taylor's season-ending injury on Tuesday as the Badgers relax during a bye week. Wisconsin lost 20-10 to then-No. 11 Iowa on Saturday. Taylor came into the game leading Wisconsin in tackles (43). Bielema says since Taylor is a redshirt freshman, he still has three quality years ahead.

BADGERS STRIKE ON TRAIL…LAND GASSER

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:38:33 -0500

By Antonio Curro - SLAM Midwest “PUNKS” Editor One of the top lead guards in the Midwest is off the board as 6-4 Josh Gasser of Port Washington is taking his game to the Big Ten to play for Bo Ryan and the Wisconsin Badgers sources confirmed early this afternoon. The skilled perimeter talent from the Badger state was one of the coveted 2010 prospects in the Midwest in recent weeks and is currently regarded as the #108 prospect in the country according to the NY2LASpor...

Bret Bielema’s Wisconsin Badgers Must Put An End To Their Downward Spiral

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:43:37 -0500

As much as Barry Alvarez may want to avoid the topic, he may have to make a decision at the end of the year on Bret Bielema. But if the embattled coach can navigate through a friendly schedule and coax an 8-4 or 9-3 record out of this year's team, he may be able to stave off the "Fire Bret Bielema" calls for at least one more season.

Ex-Wisconsin Player Threatens to Kill Barry Alvarez, Maria Sharapova

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:37:35 -0500

A former Wisconsin football player has been taken into custody for phoning in death threats to Badgers athletic director Barry Alvarez. The ex-player has also made threats to tennis star Maria Sharapova

Wisconson VS. OSU? Who Wins? Band Suspended, What!

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 09:55:03 -0500

As a former BigtTen Athlete I can tell OSU is a very good team but they have issues with the Badgers. So you ask what is the difference maker today? The fact that the Badger Band isn't playing might be an edge for OSU against the Badgers: "Camp Randall Stadium will be somewhat quieter Saturday night after Wisconsin announced its marching band won't play at the Ohio State game as an investigation continues into allegations of hazing. Officials didn't say whether the ba...

Show or Blow: UW-Madison to Badger Student Boozers

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 15:04:34 -0500

The school, in an effort to curb disruptive drunks, will deploy "continue a pilot program intended to curb students' excessive drinking at Badger football games during the upcoming 2008-'09 football season," according to The Daily Cardinal.

Nurture 1, nature 0: Bo Ryan edition.

Sun, 28 Oct 2007 07:56:42 -0500

Plenty of folks are doing the Soulja Boy. So what if Bo Ryan is a 60-year old white dude. Who lives in Wisconsin. Okay, so he's also the coach of the University of Wisconsin men's basketball team.

Old White Men Now Do The Soulja Boy

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 13:40:09 -0500

This dance is really taking over the world. This is a video of Wisconsin Badgers coach Bo Ryan doing the dance, and I must say, he is pretty good.

Wisconsin Swing Offense Breakdown

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 23:57:57 -0500

Bo Ryan has been incredibly successful at Wisconsin using his Swing Offense. Here is a quick explanation on how it works and why it is so successful.