Men's Hockey

Wisconsin vs. Omaha Postgame

Coach and player quotes

Men's Hockey

Wisconsin vs. Omaha Postgame

Coach and player quotes


Head coach Tony Granato
On how the Badgers stacked up against Omaha in the later periods
"A lot better than we did in the first. Standing around watching them wasn't fun. The second and third periods we picked it up and got to playing our game. We put them on their heels. We forced some mistakes. But at the start of the game, they came out flying and they put us on our backs to start. We just have to be ready at the start of the game. We were fortunate to be able to battle back like we did. Obviously their goaltender was a pretty big factor on their end but I though (Jack) Barry was pretty good on ours as well."
 
On the Badgers' defensive play in the first compared to the rest of the game
"Big improvement as the game went on. But part of playing good defensively is playing well offensively by establishing some offensive zone time. It was pretty hard for them to get chances when we were doing things well in the offensive zone. We started off and we just weren't as sharp as we were last weekend. That's a heck of a team. Offensively they make plays. They have a lot of skilled forwards that got in on the rush and their defense joined really well. They played great offensively and in the first period we didn't do a whole lot to slow them down."
 
On the dialogue after the first period
"We had a discussion about getting to our game. There wasn't a lot of screaming, there was just an emphasis on getting to play how we know we can. We had a great week of practice working on certain things that we did not do well in the first period. That was forechecking, hunting pucks, tracking pucks, not allowing the other team to make two or three direct passes. We allowed that early on. If you get on your heels against a team with good offensive players, they're going to expose you like they did. I liked the fact that we kept fighting. When you throw 50 shots at the net, you're in a position where you think you should win the game. We feel pretty good about how the first two periods went but obviously we're going to have to play a complete period tomorrow."
 
On the Badger goals tonight
"The second goal by (Grant) Besse was great because when a goalie is playing that well, you have to find ways to get some screens in front of them. Besse is known for making plays as opposed to being the guy in front of the net but he knew the importance of creating some traffic in front of the net. He was there the shift before that and almost scored a goal on a screen tip. That was obviously a big play in the period. (Peter) Tischke's goal was huge. If you throw enough pucks at the net, sooner or later one of them is going to go in. I don't know how many shot attempts we had before scoring that but we certainly threw a lot at them. Their goalie was outstanding and hopefully tomorrow we'll be able to generate more chances off rebounds and attacks. Cameron Hughes was also big on Tischke's goal so that was big as well."
 
On whether a tie is a success after the way the second and third periods went in favor of the Badgers
"I think we're still learning as a team. I don't want to keep saying that every week but our game has made strides in a lot of different ways. In a game like this, you have to take out what you can so the things you can correct are changed. To be a good team, you have to do it consistently. I think we're a really good team a lot of the time but we haven't done it consistently enough to say that we belong with the big boys yet. I think its important for our guys to get to that level. If it means taking steps forward the entire year to get there finally at the end of the year, that's how its going to be. I think that's a heck of a hockey team. They're ranked No. 15 in the nation and they've won some big games already. They skate well and have tons of weapons offensively. It was an entertaining hockey game – I know that.
 
On the guy's intensity on power plays and throughout the game
"I love the fact that in the second period on their power play we stuffed a lot of shots where we just ate them. That shows the courage, one, and the commitment, two, to keep it out of our net. That's when I felt really good about our team. They knew the game was on the line and that we couldn't give up another goal. That's an indicator of how bad you want to win a game by how much you pay the price for eating the puck. (Ryan) Wagner is one of the guys that leads the way every night – blocking shots, finishing checks, hustling – wherever he needs to be to make an impact. He's a battler for sure."
 
On whether the power play was up to standards despite not getting a goal
"Yes. Sometimes that happens. You want to create chances, you want to create passes and get time in the offensive zone. I think our movement was great. The plays we made were very good. If we continue to move the puck and make plays like that, eventually they are going to go in."

Junior Ryan Wagner
On expanding his role on the ice:
"I'd definitely say I'm gaining confidence. With the coaches coming in, they stress a lot on confidence, so I've been working on my game a lot during practice. It's pretty easy when you're playing with (Luke) Kunin and Cameron (Hughes) out there. They do a pretty good job for me."
 
On the versatility of his game:
"I just think it's nice to have things in your back pocket. Coach trusts me in a lot of situations, which is good moving forward and I think to think of myself as a very versatile forward."
 
On the mentality during the second period:
"I'd say it was a 'wipe the slate clean' kind of thing. Coach came in there and said we need to relax and gain our confidence back and just go out there and do what we do best and I think we did that. We've just got to come out, ready to play, for 60 minutes tomorrow."
 
 
Sophomore Luke Kunin
On the dressing room environment after the first period and the following response:
"It wasn't the start we wanted, but the guys in there did most of the talking and we took it upon ourselves to go out and play the way we know how to play. When we do things like that, teams can't hang with us, as you saw there in the second and third. So we've just got to do that in the start."
 
On if it was disappointing to get a tie after all the chances they had:
"We're a team that expects to win, we're all winners in that locker room so anything less than a win doesn't sit well with us. There were a lot of chances and those are going to start going in for us."
 
 
Sophomore Peter Tishke
On getting his first collegiate goal:
"It took a while but it felt really good. It's fun, and good to finally get it out of the way."
 
On if he felt like he had a lot of time:
"Yeah I felt like I had a lot of time, the winger's did a great job of boxing out so I had time to get my shot through."
 
On the importance of net-front pressure to create screens:
"Our forwards did a great job getting to the net so the D were able to get shots through and when we did we got good second-chance rebounds from that because the goalie couldn't see it. If we do that tomorrow we're going to have a lot of success with it"
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Players Mentioned

Cameron Hughes

#19 Cameron Hughes

F
6' 0"
Junior
BOS
Luke Kunin

#9 Luke Kunin

F
6' 0"
Sophomore
MIN
Ryan Wagner

#13 Ryan Wagner

F
5' 8"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Cameron Hughes

#19 Cameron Hughes

6' 0"
Junior
BOS
F
Luke Kunin

#9 Luke Kunin

6' 0"
Sophomore
MIN
F
Ryan Wagner

#13 Ryan Wagner

5' 8"
Junior
F