UW men's hockey: Badgers' goaltender gets shot at redemption
Shane Connelly knows it's behind him.
He can't change what happened nearly two weeks ago, the performance that caused him a week's worth of anxiety. There's no way to right the wrongs of a playoff game that almost spelled the end of the season.
That being said, imagine how hard it was last week for Connelly, the University of Wisconsin junior goaltender, to live with the reality that he was a negative factor, then a non-factor, in a must-win game.
It's damaging to a goalie's psyche whenever one gets pulled from a game. In Connelly's case in Game 2 of a league playoff series at St. Cloud State, he had to watch from the bench as the Badgers rallied, only to lose in overtime to put their NCAA tournament hopes in limbo.
Connelly's story as it relates to the present day is about the power of redemption. With that performance still in his mind, he left town for Chicago last Friday to spend the weekend with his aunt and uncle and their family. In the process, he took some time to gain a new perspective.
If the Badgers made the NCAA tournament field through a set of results in conference tournaments going a certain way, great. If not, so be it.
They made it. Connelly got his eagerly awaited second chance, and the wider perspective that he gained in a weekend of thinking made him realize how fortunate he is.
"Second chances don't come around that often, especially as you get older," Connelly said. "We've got to make this one count, especially for me. I want to make an impression with my teammates and other people, and even myself. I've got a second chance, and you can't really say that too often. It's here now; it's time to make the best of it."
Connelly's second chance doubles as one last opportunity for his team to make big things happen this season. The Badgers play Denver on Saturday in the opening round of the NCAA tournament at the Kohl Center.
There have been times this season when the Badgers have seemed close to a breakthrough, but more often than not it has been one step forward, one step back.
Now, there are no more scenarios, no more what-ifs. A step back is a step into the offseason for the Badgers, the first at-large selection with a losing record (15-16-7) in NCAA hockey history.
"People are going to say whatever they want, and if we get on a roll here, we're going to prove that we belong here," Connelly said. "There's nothing to lose here."
Interestingly enough, Connelly's downfall at St. Cloud State actually came on the heels of a strong performance.
UW coach Mike Eaves identified him as the Badgers' best player in a 3-0 loss in Game 1 of the series. But that result put a troubling thought into the goaltender's head.
"I got so caught up in, 'Oh, we lost 3-0. If we're only going to get one goal, I need to make that one count,' " Connelly said. "I just think I put too much pressure on myself."
The pressure built and built in Game 2 until, in Connelly's words, it collapsed on him.
He gave up a goal on the first shot he faced, just 26 seconds into the game. Eaves nearly yanked him from the game after another apparent Huskies goal midway through the first period, but the score was waved off.
Connelly misplayed another shot late in the period to give St. Cloud State another lead. Scott Gudmandson led the Badgers out of the locker room at the start of the second period; Connelly took a seat at the end of the bench and watched.
"In my opinion, he tried too hard," Eaves said. "He took himself out of his peak performance state, which we saw the night before. So it's a lesson."
What lingers from that performance to this day? Connelly said he hasn't watched the game video, so all he has are the fading memories.
"It's gone," Connelly said. "What happened, happened."
The Badgers practiced for three days in the week after the series loss, keeping alive the hopes that they'd be able to play again.
Connelly, who had practically begged the hockey gods that night in St. Cloud to not send him into the offseason on that kind of performance, had to get back in a good mental state. He got encouragement from coaches and teammates but had to work through things in his own head.
"I still had it fresh in my mind of what happened, not knowing if I'd have another opportunity to prove myself," he said. "I had to keep my confidence up, knowing that there could be another game and I have to be ready. There were definitely long days, long nights, boring nights. It was pretty much a boring week. But it's over now and it paid off on Sunday."
There's no less pressure on Connelly now than there was in St. Cloud, but he's trying to go at things with a more relaxed approach.
Saturday's game, after all, is the one he asked for, so he has to be in the right frame of mind.
"I've got something to prove," Connelly said. "Definitely, it's going to motivate me up until Saturday."
tmilewski@madison.com
File photo
Wisconsin's Shane Connelly makes a save in the second period of a hockey game against Minnesota in Minneapolis, on Feb. 22.
