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Frederic named to U.S. National Junior Team preliminary roster

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Trent Frederic

Wisconsin hockey star Trent Frederic has been named to USA Hockey’s preliminary roster for this year’s U.S. National Junior Team, which will compete in this years event in Buffalo, New York.

The preliminary roster consists of 28 players.  The group will gather in Columbus, Ohio for training camp Dec. 15-19, then again Dec. 20-23 in Jamestown, New York, where they will play pre-tournament games against Belarus on Dec. 20, and then against Sweden in Erie, Pennsylvania, on Dec. 22.

The team will be cut down to 23 player for the 2018 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship.

If Frederic makes the final cut, he would become the 54th Badger all-time to skate in the event, dating back to its official sanctioning in 1978.

The U.S. owns four gold medals, all since 2004, when then UW head coach Mike Eaves led the country to its first gold medal.

The other three gold medals came with Badgers as captains as Luke Kunin (2017), Jake McCabe (2013) and John Ramage (2011) served in the official capacity. [Read more…]

Eaves hired to coach St. Olaf’s

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Mike Eaves - (Photo by David Stluka)

Mike Eaves – (Photo by David Stluka)

Former Wisconsin men’s hockey coach Mike Eaves has been named the new head coach at Division 3 St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota on Friday.

Eaves spent 14 seasons at Wisconsin and won the 2006 NCAA title, but was fired in March after back-to-back losing seasons.  Eaves finished his career in Madison with a 267-225-76 record.

St. Olaf is a member of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC).

 

 

Granato wanted to come home (AUDIO)

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Mark Osiecki, Tony Granato & Don Granato. Photo Courtesy of UWBadgers.com

Mark Osiecki, Tony Granato & Don Granato. Photo Courtesy of UWBadgers.com

Tony Granato spent 13 seasons as a player in the NHL and has been a coach in the league for an additional ten-plus seasons.  He’s been playing and coaching in the league that hockey people aspire to get to.  Yet given the opportunity to coach the Wisconsin Badger hockey team, he didn’t hesitate.

Granato had one condition when Barry Alvarez offered him the job.  He wanted his brother Don Granato and another former Badger, Mark Osiecki to join him as associated head coaches.  [Read more…]

Back-to-back losing seasons costs Eaves his job (AUDIO)

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Wisconsin head coach Mike Eaves. (Photo by David Stluka)

Wisconsin head coach Mike Eaves. (Photo by David Stluka)

Mike Eaves has accomplished a considerable amount as Wisconsin‘s hockey coach in his 14-seasons on the job, not to mention a distinguished playing career.  But back-to-back losing seasons has cost Eaves his job.

Eaves remains the all-time leading scorer in program history, a three-time captain, a two-time MVP and a member of the UW Athletic Hall of Fame.

Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez fired Eaves today after the Badgers saw their season end with a 5-2 loss to Penn State in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday in St. Paul, Minnesota.

After a 24-win season two years ago, the Badgers have managed to win just 12-games over the last two seasons.  After winning just four games last season, the Badgers doubled that total, winning just eight this past season. [Read more…]

Badger men’s hockey season comes to an end

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Wisconsin head coach Mike Eaves. (Photo by David Stluka)

Wisconsin head coach Mike Eaves. (Photo by David Stluka)

Wisconsin hockey fans will soon find out the fate of long-time veteran coach Mike Eaves after the Badgers season came to an end in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday.

The Badgers (8-19-8, 3-13-4-2 Big Ten) fell to Penn State 5-2 at the Xcel Energy Center.

Wisconsin fell behind 2-to-nothing before freshman Luke Kunin scored his 19th goal of the season on a feed from Cameron Hughes to cut the deficit to one goal.  Kunin has scored nine goals in his last 10 games.

But that was as close as the Badgers would get the rest of the way.  Penn State would score two more goals in the second period to take a 4-to-1 lead.

Wisconsin’s Grant Besse made it 4-to-2 with a goal 3:26 into the third period. [Read more…]

Badgers lose top goaltender prospect

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Mike Eaves loses top goaltending prospect.

Mike Eaves loses top goaltending prospect.

Coming off a 4-26-5 season a year ago, the Wisconsin Badgers were looking to turn things around this season.  They thought they had one of the top incoming goaltender recruits in the country, but that has all gone up in smoke.

Luke Opilka had already enrolled in summer classes at Wisconsin after starring for the U.S. National Development program’s U-18 squad.  He was expected to take over as the starting goaltender for the Badgers this coming season. [Read more…]

Strand leaves Capitols for bucket-list opportunity

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Luke Strand - Photo Courtesy of Madison Capitols.

Luke Strand – Photo Courtesy of Madison Capitols.

After one season as head coach and general manager of the USHL’s Madison Capitols, Luke Strand was hired today as the associated head coach under Mike Eaves at the University of Wisconsin.

When asked about his decision to join the Badgers staff, Strand explained, “the opportunity to be at the University of Wisconsin for me is a bucket-list opportunity that in being from the state is impossible to pass up.”

Stand played at UW-Eau Claire, coached at UW-Eau Claire and got his coaching start at St. Norbert College with Tim Coghlin.

Stand was born in the Philippines, but grew up in Wisconsin, and spent much of his time in the state since skating for UW-Eau Claire in the mid-1990’s. [Read more…]

UW athletic board puts the heat on a pair of coaches

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Mike Eaves

Mike Eaves

After tough seasons for the Wisconsin men’s hockey team and the women’s basketball team, the UW Athletic board voted to retain coaches Mike Eaves (hockey) and Bobbie Kelsey (women’s hoops), but didn’t extend their contracts.

Eaves contract expires June 30, 2019 and Kelsey’s runs through May 31, 2019.

Under Eaves, the Badger men’s hockey team finished 4-26-5 last season, the worst record in program history.  After winning an NCAA Championship in 2006 and making the title game in 2010, the Badgers have failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the third time in five seasons.

In effect, the board couldn’t reward Eaves with a contract extension after a season like last year.  Eaves also fired his two assistants, Gary Shuchuk and Matt Walsh.

Bobbie Kelsey

Bobbie Kelsey

Kelsey’s Badger women’s basketball team finished 5-11 in the Big Ten and 9-20 overall last season.  Since Kelsey joined the program, Wisconsin has failed to qualify for either the NCAA or the WNIT.

It’s safe to say the Athletic Board is looking for improvement from both programs or their jobs could be in jeopardy.

The board did roll over the five-year contracts of men’s basketball coach Bo Ryan and women’s hockey coach Mark Johnson.  It also rolled over the three-year deal for wrestling coach Barry Davis.

Hockey Badgers set program record for losses

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Mike Eaves

Mike Eaves

Mike Eaves Wisconsin men’s hockey team (4-23-4, 2-13-2-2 Big Ten) was plagued by seven penalties on Friday night.  Michigan State capitalized on two of their six power plays and went on to beat the Badgers 3-0 at Munn Ice Arena Friday night.

The shutout loss marked UW’s third in the past four games and second to MSU this season.  It also sent the Badgers to their 23rd loss of the season, which is the most regular season losses in program history, dating back to 1921.

Michigan State (15-14-2, 9-6-2-2) got another solid effort in goal by Jake Hildebrand, who recorded his fifth shutout of the season.  Joel Rumpel had 25 saves for the Badgers in defeat.

Wisconsin plays for the series split and the season series split tonight.  The two teams faceoff at 6pm on BTN.

Ugly start to new year for Hockey Badgers

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Mike Eaves

Mike Eaves

The Wisconsin Badger men’s hockey team returned from their holiday break and suffered its worst home loss under head coach Mike Eaves, falling 8-1 to 5th ranked Michigan Teach at the Kohl Center.

The Badgers (1-11-1) allowed the Huskies (15-4-0) to score three goals in the first 10 minutes.

Sophomore Morgan Zulinick scored Wisconsin’s lone goal, late in the second period.

Wisconsin senior goaltender Landon Peterson made 29 saves in a relief role for the Badgers.