Polzin: How a 5-game skid helped Wisconsin women’s hockey reach the Frozen Four

Inquiring minds wished to know one factor: What’s happening?

The College of Wisconsin ladies’s hockey program hasn’t been in lots of slumps throughout what has been an excellent run beneath Johnson over 20 years, however the Badgers have been in a single in January. And a few followers have been fairly involved throughout a five-game dropping streak to open 2023.

“Our expectations are so excessive,” mentioned Johnson, who has led this system to 6 nationwide titles, “that abruptly you lose 5 video games in a row and all people thinks the top is there.”

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Johnson knew higher, however he admits now there have been some tough nights of sleep as he looked for solutions. He in the end drew on experiences from his distinguished profession as a participant and a coach. He requested himself what he’d wish to hear from a coach if he was the one within the gamers’ skates throughout a tough patch.

The reply: a peaceful, reassuring voice. A trainer slightly than a screamer. In different phrases, Johnson didn’t have to vary a single factor and will depend on his strengths as a coach.

“It’s like coping with life,” he mentioned. “Life occurs. We’re enjoying a sport and sure issues occur inside your video games and inside a season and there’s going to be adversity, (so) how do you deal with it?”

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Johnson’s staff dealt with it simply advantageous and finally broke by. That UW’s season will finish within the Frozen 4 — the Badgers (27-10-2) will meet rival Minnesota (30-5-3) on Friday evening in a semifinal in Duluth, Minnesota — is a testomony to the significance of preventing by robust occasions slightly than being overwhelmed by these stretches.

“Simply having that have and having to face it and look it down and work out how to make things better, that could be a talent that we’ve needed to work on,” UW senior ahead Britta Curl mentioned. “I believe it is useful this time of 12 months. We’ve grown nearer by it.”

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Skids can check a staff’s chemistry. The strongest teams are those wherein gamers proceed to drag for each other whereas nonetheless holding one another accountable.

Johnson would have been fearful if he noticed the alternative taking place. However UW’s leaders have been doing their half.

“You actually grow to be a staff of fine teammates,” Johnson mentioned. “You place your self in that area and now abruptly the product on the ice begins to look higher. And I believe we’re there. It’s been good the final 4, 5 – 6 weeks. However you must undergo these durations in your season.”

This explicit stretch at the very least partially was attributable to a demanding schedule. All 5 of the defeats — one to Quinnipiac, two to Minnesota Duluth, two to Ohio State — got here towards opponents who finally made the NCAA Match subject.

Plus, Johnson got here away from 4 of them feeling like UW had performed properly sufficient to win. The exception was the ultimate sport of the skid, a 5-0 loss at Ohio State on Jan. 14.

Johnson confused the significance of doing the little issues properly and that was true, however the greatest problem plaguing the Badgers was, as Curl bluntly put it earlier this week, “We couldn’t rating.”

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Certainly, UW was shut out thrice throughout that stretch and managed just one purpose within the two different video games. Two objectives in 5 video games isn’t precisely a profitable recipe.

Johnson inspired the Badgers to maintain plugging away, to belief the method and never dwell on outcomes.

“I gained a whole lot of respect for him throughout that point,” Curl mentioned. “He confirmed no indicators of panic, of frustration, of attempting to vary all this stuff to determine what’s improper. He knew that we have been enjoying properly and he simply was attempting to encourage us to maintain enjoying the identical method and never a lot fear in regards to the outcomes, which I believe may be very, very tough to do and it takes a really sensible and good chief. He’s been that for us this 12 months.”

The hunch lasted two weeks however in all probability felt like two months. It made the Badgers stronger in the long term.

“If we hadn’t gone by that,” Johnson mentioned, “I’m unsure we might have had the end that we did.”