Winning a WCHA regular-season championship is hard enough, as evidenced by the fact that only three teams in Badger history have ever accomplished that feat -- the 1976-77, 1989-90 and 1999-2000 teams. Successfully defending that title is even harder. No team in UW history has ever won back-to-back league titles.

With a 31-9-1 overall mark, a 23-5-0 WCHA record and a first-place finish a year ago, Bucky brought the coveted MacNaughton Cup back to Madison for the first time since the NCAA Championship 1989-90 team did a decade ago. The 31 wins were the most by a UW team since that 1989-90 season and marked the fourth 30-win campaign for Jeff Sauer at the helm of the Badger program.

Despite winning the league title and earning a first-round bye in the NCAA tournament, the Badgers' hopes for the school's sixth NCAA crown were dashed by Boston College which defeated the Badgers 4-1 in second-round tournament action. That defeat will serve as motivation to the returning members of this year's squad.

"The team came back in great shape for the season," said head coach Jeff Sauer. "In terms of conditioning, this is probably the best shape a team has been in since I've been here returning to training camp."

The quest to retain the Cup was given a boost this past July when Dany Heatley, the second overall pick in the June NHL Entry Draft, decided to return to Wisconsin for his sophomore season instead of signing with the Atlanta Thrashers.

Heatley, a second-team all-American as a freshman, was the WCHA's Rookie of the Year and led the country's freshmen in scoring with 28-28=56. There is no question that Heatley enters his sophomore season as a top candidate for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award.

Heatley became the first Wisconsin freshman ever named an all-American and finished his first-year campaign as the third-highest scoring rookie in Badger history.

Wisconsin on paper seems to have all the tools for a very successful season. Offensively, the UW returns seven of its top-10 scorers off the 1999-2000 team with a wealth of young talent who now have the experience to step up their play a notch.

On defense, the Badgers possess arguably the best trio of blueliners in the nation in Jeff Dessner, Alex Brooks and Brian Fahey and in goal, netminder Graham Melanson.

Arguably the best returning goaltender in the country, Melanson held opponents to three or less goals in 29 of 41 games (70.7 percent) a year ago in setting and tying the UW mark for wins in a season by a goaltender in both league play (23) and overall games (31).

Along with classmates Brooks and Dessner, Melanson spent part of August in Norway playing with the WCHA all-Star team.

Perhaps the greatest strength the Badgers will have this season is in their depth. "We as a coaching staff are going to have some tough choices to make as far as who will be in the lineup each night," said Sauer. "It's a great problem to have if your a coach and it's also a very positive situation to be in from a player's standpoint because it makes everyone work harder in competing for those spots."

Offensively
Lettermen Lost ... 4
Lettermen Back ... 12
Newcomers ... 3

Offense shouldn't be a problem for the UW as two-thirds of last year's goal-scoring and point production is back. The top-scoring forwards off last year's team, Heatley (28-28=56), David Hukalo (15-24=39), Kevin Granato (10-19=29) and Brad Winchester (9-9-18), will again be the leaders up front offensively, but will need support from a class of juniors -- Kent Davyduke, Matt Doman, Matt Murray, Dave Hergert, Matt Hussey and Andy Wheeler -- who as a group are one of the keys to the Badgers' success in 2000-01.

Hukalo played left wing on one of the highest scoring lines in UW history with Heatley at right wing and Reinprecht centering last season. His 39 points represented over a 400 percent improvement in point production from his 4-5=9 effort his first year.

Granato, one of three assistant captains, is coming off a 10-goal junior year and has the ability to double that output. Winchester, a second-round NHL draft selection of the Edmonton Oilers, was one of the league's top rookies and will only get better in his sophomore season.

Doman, who missed 19 games of his sophomore season after sustaining a severed achilles tendon at Colorado College in early December, is back at full strength and will serve as an assistant captain. Doman had 11 points in 16 games to start the season last year before suffering his injury.

Davyduke was voted the team's Most Improved Player for the 1999-2000 season, mainly for his efforts the second half of the season and his improvement down the stretch.

Former walk-ons Wheeler and Murray have been invaluable additions to the program with their hard -nosed play and ability to make plays. The two combined for nine goals last season, with five of those being game-winning scores. Wheeler led the team with two shorthanded goals.

Finishing out the junior class are 6-2, 200-pound wingers Hussey (5-11=16) and Hergert (5-7=12) who will be counted on to improve their contributions offensively.

Completing the list of forwards are senior Mike Cerniglia, sophomore Erik Jensen and newcomers John Eichelberger and Rene Bourque. Cerniglia is one of just two senior forwards (other is Granato) on the team and played in four games as a junior.

Jensen, who is the strongest player on the team with a bench press of 320, had 3-3=6 in 22 games for the Badgers as a freshman and this season should be a regular in the UW lineup.

The Badgers lost four forwards to graduation in all-American Steve Reinprecht, Dustin Kuk, Niki Siren and Dan Guenther. The biggest hole to fill will be that left by first-team all-American and Hobey Baker runner up Steve Reinprecht, who led the nation in scoring a year ago with 26-40=66. Reinprecht is the highest-finishing Badger in the Hobey race and the first UW forward to earn first-teamall-America honors since Gary Shuchuk following the 1989-90 Championship season.

Defensively
Lettermen Lost ... 1
Lettermen Back ... 6
Newcomers ... 2

The WCHA's Defensive Player of the Year -- Jeff Dessner -- is back for his senior season to lead the Badgers from the blueline. The Wisconsin captain was a first-team all-American in '99-2000 and his 11-16=27 led the WCHA in goals by a defenseman. Dessner and defensive partner Alex Brooks, an assistant captain and third-team all-WCHA selection, combined for a +87 in plus-minus. Dessner (+46) led all league peers in that category and Brooks (+41) was not far behind.

Sophomore Brian Fahey is coming off a rookie campaign which saw him voted to the all-WCHA Rookie team, scoring 6-11=17 and tying for the league goal-scoring lead among first-year blueliners. Fahey was also drafted this past June by the Colorado Avalanche in the fourth round of the NHL Entry Draft.

Rob Vega has been a steady presence for the UW at defense and brings 65 games of playing experience into his junior campaign.

Sophomore Mark Jackson, who played in 25 games as a freshman, looks for a more prominent role and will likely get his chance this season. Rounding out the list of Badger defenders is senior Rick Spooner who joins incoming rookies Dan Boeser and Jon Krall competing for playing time.

The lone loss on defense was converted forward Dan Bjornlie who put up 7-12=19 in recording his best offensive and defensive seasons for the UW.

Goaltending
Lettermen Lost ... 0
Lettermen Back ... 3
Newcomers ... 0

Graham Melanson,arguably the best goaltender in the country, returns for his final collegiate season and his continued assault on the Badger record books. Melanson put up spectacular numbers last season, sporting a 2.51 goals-against average, .914 save percentage in recording a 31-9-1 record. He led all WCHA netminders in minutes (2415), saves(1,077) and was the only league goaltender to play in every one of his team's games (41) in 1999-2000.

He is one of just four goaltenders in UW history to play in 40 games in one season. He tied UW marks for wins in a season (31) and shutouts in a season (4) and enters his senior year among the school's top-five in career saves (2,596, currently fifth), games played (99, fourth), victories (59, third), minutes played (5,733, fourth), lowest goals-against average (2.67, third), save pct. (.911, third) and shutouts (6, tied-second).

No other goaltender in Badger history consistently ranks that high in those categories. Backing up Melanson is sophomore Scott Kabotoff who saw limited playing time (65:51 minutes) as a freshman. His only start came on Jan. 8 in a 6-6 overtime tie against NCAA Frozen Four participant St.Lawrence. Also seeing playing time last year was walk on Mark Baranczyk.

© 2009 CBS Interactive. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy (UPDATED) | Terms of Use | About Us | Advertise | Feedback | XML RSS Feeds