When people think of Wisconsin athletics most think of the Badger football team, but the hockey team has been the most consistent program at UW. Though, there is one thing the Wisconsin Badgers have never had: a Hobey Baker Award winner. A Trend that Blake Geoffrion can end this year.
The award is given every year to the best hockey player in the NCAA, and even though the Badgers have brought home the Heisman twice (maybe three times after this year)...no one has brought home the Heisman of hockey.
Wisconsin senior forward and team captain Blake Geoffrion joins three finalists for the award, but is the only one that is still playing. Both New Hampshire's Bobby Butler, and Gustav Nyquist will be watching the Frozen Four on ESPN2 after New Hampshire was eliminated by RIT (oddly enough Wisconsin's next opponent) and Maine failed to make the tournament this year.
Geoffrion's main competition is most likely Bobby Butler who is the leading goal scorer in the NCAA this season with 29, but Geoffrion is just two back in a tie for second.
But the best thing that Geoffrion has going for him is that he is still playing. The award will be given out on April 9th; the day after Wisconsin's Frozen Four match-up with RIT. And with both of the other canidates watching at home this could be just the stage for Blake Geoffrion to separate himself and become Wisconsin's very first Hobey Baker Award winner.
Deja Vu
The Beat Goes On: Badgerst Take Down K-State
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Should Bo Go? No!
Since the loss to Cornell, there has been some talk about whether it's time for Bo to leave the Badgers. Well, this could the most unbelievable thing I've heard regarding the Wisconsin basketball program.
Where was Wisconsin basketball before Bo Ryan? One final four birth, and years of mediocrity leading up to it. I know a lot of people are saying that he has taken the program as far as he can, but where could anyone else take it from here?
Let's be honest, it would be hard to bring any big name coach from a big name program to Madison. There was talk about Bruce Pearl coming to UW, but what are the odds of that? Did anyone notice that he was just two points from the Final Four with Tennessee? Why in the world would Bruce Pearl leave Knoxville. He's in a situation where he has a program that is one of the best in the SEC; in a town where football still reigns supreme.
And you could say the same thing is happening with Bo Ryan. Before Bo, football was king in Madison. While it still may be; basketball has made huge steps in becoming a very close second.
Under Bo Ryan Wisconsin has won three Big Ten championships. The last before that was in 1947 (Note: Michigan State joined the Big Ten in 1953).
While the national accolades have not been there for Bucky in the NCAA tournament, they have been there in the regular season. For the first time in Wisconsin history in 2007 the Badgers were ranked number one in a national basketball poll. You would think this would bring in big name recruits, but that's not what has happened for the basketball program.
This is just another key point into what makes Bo Ryan a perfect fit for the Wisconsin Badgers. He's clean. In a day when kids are going to college for just one year before bolting for the pros, Bo recruits kids that want to play in Madison. He recruits kids that want to be Badgers. And he recruits kids that will fit the system he runs. Bo Ryan isn't a coach like John Calipari at Kentucky. Bring in the best talent out there and go for it all every year, but as soon as you bolt too, the program blows up and sanctions follow. You want to talk about a problem for Wisconsin...that would be a big one.
That's why Bo should, and will stay in Madison. He's clean, he wins, and he's consistent. And that's just fine with me.
Where was Wisconsin basketball before Bo Ryan? One final four birth, and years of mediocrity leading up to it. I know a lot of people are saying that he has taken the program as far as he can, but where could anyone else take it from here?
Let's be honest, it would be hard to bring any big name coach from a big name program to Madison. There was talk about Bruce Pearl coming to UW, but what are the odds of that? Did anyone notice that he was just two points from the Final Four with Tennessee? Why in the world would Bruce Pearl leave Knoxville. He's in a situation where he has a program that is one of the best in the SEC; in a town where football still reigns supreme.
And you could say the same thing is happening with Bo Ryan. Before Bo, football was king in Madison. While it still may be; basketball has made huge steps in becoming a very close second.
Under Bo Ryan Wisconsin has won three Big Ten championships. The last before that was in 1947 (Note: Michigan State joined the Big Ten in 1953).
While the national accolades have not been there for Bucky in the NCAA tournament, they have been there in the regular season. For the first time in Wisconsin history in 2007 the Badgers were ranked number one in a national basketball poll. You would think this would bring in big name recruits, but that's not what has happened for the basketball program.
This is just another key point into what makes Bo Ryan a perfect fit for the Wisconsin Badgers. He's clean. In a day when kids are going to college for just one year before bolting for the pros, Bo recruits kids that want to play in Madison. He recruits kids that want to be Badgers. And he recruits kids that will fit the system he runs. Bo Ryan isn't a coach like John Calipari at Kentucky. Bring in the best talent out there and go for it all every year, but as soon as you bolt too, the program blows up and sanctions follow. You want to talk about a problem for Wisconsin...that would be a big one.
That's why Bo should, and will stay in Madison. He's clean, he wins, and he's consistent. And that's just fine with me.
Gudmandson needs to be more than just "good"
Don't let the conference fool you...RIT is for real. You can't beat Denver on neutral ice and not deserve to be there. And they have the goals to prove it.
The Tigers may have only put up two goals against Denver but that was enough. RIT lit the lamp six times against New Hampshire in the East Regional Final. And RIT isn't just on a roll they are lighting up the NCAA at the same time.
Over their 12 game winning streak, not having lost since February 6th, the Tigers have scored 53 goals. That's over four goals a game during the streak. At the same time their goalie Jared DeMichiel has given up only 16 goals. That's a whopping plus 37 goals against.
While Bucky has one of the best scoring offenses statistically in college hockey this season; when they lose it's between the pipes.
So far this season in Bucky's losses the badgers have given up 41 goals. That's four goals per loss, and it's the exact same number of goals the Tigers are putting up each game in their streak.
It looks like Bucky may have met his match in this one. Statistically, Wisconsin and RIT match up almost identically. This means that Wisconsin needs to win this one in the crease and not in the open ice. RIT probably has one of the hottest net-minders in all of college hockey right now, and that mean's Scott Gudmandson needs to be more than just "good" in this one; he needs to be GREAT!
(On a plus note over a quarter of the goals in Wisconsin's losses came to St. Cloud State...well we know how that one ended.)
The Tigers may have only put up two goals against Denver but that was enough. RIT lit the lamp six times against New Hampshire in the East Regional Final. And RIT isn't just on a roll they are lighting up the NCAA at the same time.
Over their 12 game winning streak, not having lost since February 6th, the Tigers have scored 53 goals. That's over four goals a game during the streak. At the same time their goalie Jared DeMichiel has given up only 16 goals. That's a whopping plus 37 goals against.
While Bucky has one of the best scoring offenses statistically in college hockey this season; when they lose it's between the pipes.
So far this season in Bucky's losses the badgers have given up 41 goals. That's four goals per loss, and it's the exact same number of goals the Tigers are putting up each game in their streak.
It looks like Bucky may have met his match in this one. Statistically, Wisconsin and RIT match up almost identically. This means that Wisconsin needs to win this one in the crease and not in the open ice. RIT probably has one of the hottest net-minders in all of college hockey right now, and that mean's Scott Gudmandson needs to be more than just "good" in this one; he needs to be GREAT!
(On a plus note over a quarter of the goals in Wisconsin's losses came to St. Cloud State...well we know how that one ended.)
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