Best Badger Hockey Team in Years

Well, I am again writing from a sleeping friends computer, I just couldn't resist. The men's hockey team looked fantastic last night, despite a disappointing 2-2 tie. The Badgers came out flying, jumping to a quick 7-1 shot lead and having two or three open net chances that CC goalie, Matt Zaba had to stand on his head to stop. After about ten minutes CC seemed to get some steam as their big guns Sterling and Sertich got it together and started to put a little pressure on Wisconcin. Brian Elliott gave up a weak little nubber from a bad angle to "the best pure goal scorer in ten years" Brett Sterling. Screw him, the guy is a little punk. He started begging for calls about two minutes into the game and never got out of the refs ear. It was embarassing. The guy can play, no doubt about it but he whines like Allen Iverson. Elliott let in another bad angle shot, this time on a fantastic top shelf back hander from freshman Joey Crabb only five minutes later. This one was UW defenseman Olinger's fault. He let Crabb carry the puck out of the corner and get off a shot that never should have been fired. It was ridiculous.

Wisconsin got one back on a breakaway when Jake Dowell hit Tommy Gilbery exiting the penalty box who five holed Zaba for his second goal of the season with a minute left in the period. Bucky tied it up in the second when Skille cleaned up the rebound from a nice play by Ross Carlson to create a turnover and create a little mele in front of the net. Skille lifted it past Zaba as he was falling backwards to knot the game. It was a nice heads up play from the beloved freshman. I think if anyone benefitted the most from the Phil "Turncoat" Kessel affair, it was Skille. It was well known that the two disliked each other intensely when they played together on the junior national team and some believe that factored into the best American hockey player in the past two decades to turn his back on his home state and go play for the maroon and mustard, an unforgivable sin. To tell you how big a deal this is to Badger fans, my little sister was offered a ride to Minnesota about a month before Wisconsin officially offered. When the rest of the family found out, I laid it out for her. I would root for her to lose, and to lose miserably. My entire extended family told her the same thing. My mom was the only person who was open to it. I told her she could go anywhere else (I wanted her to go to BC) but Minnesota is out of the question. Well, the story had a happy ending and she'll be a Badger next year, however it illustrates the intese hatred between Badger and Gopher hockey fans. It is intense and it is real and that is why Phil Kessel will be the most hated man in Wisconsin come Jan. 27 when they come to town, and also why Skille, who stayed home, is considered a hero and is cheered as loud as any proven Wisco player like MacMurchy or Earl.

If you can make it to a game this year I suggest you go, there is literally nothing like it, and this is the best team Wisconsin has had probably in a decade. They are fantastic to watch and incredibly deep. Plus, go once and I guaranty you will follow them for life, it is incredible.

I gotta roll, but it looks like Melvin is trying to up the price for Jenkins and is dropping the ball on Washburn, not even meeting with his agent Scott Boras, his agent, during GM meetings and announcing his intention of not opening the wallet for a pitcher.