Category: Athletics

Itâ??s too early to know if there will be another Camp Randall Hockey Classic, but University of Wisconsin menâ??s coach Mike Eaves has given it some thought. A crowd of more than 55,000 showed up at Camp Randall Stadium to see the UW menâ??s and womenâ??s teams play outdoors Saturday. Given the unique atmosphere and the fact that the second-largest crowd in NCAA history for such an event was on hand, Eaves believes a reprisal is doable.â?? After what happened Saturday night, I think that the administration will look into it,â? Eaves said in his post-game news conference.

New University of Wisconsin defensive backs coach Chris Ash does not hide his desire to be a defensive coordinator some day.

“Itâ??s one of my future goals,” Ash said in an interview last week. “Right now, Iâ??m focused on going to Wisconsin and being the best DB coach I can be and help Dave (Doeren) as the coordinator.

“Absolutely, down the road, at some point, I do want a shot at being a defensive coordinator.”

After winning two games last week, the University of Wisconsin menâ??s basketball team moved up to No. 11 in this weekâ??s Associated Press Top-25 poll. The Badgers (18-5, 8-3 Big Ten) are No. 13 in the ESPN/USA Today coachesâ?? Top 25 poll.

Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan was encouraged recently when the topic of expanding the NCAA menâ??s basketball tournament from 65 to 96 teams was broached publicly.

Every tradition was a novelty first,” said Patrick Seltsam, the project manager of the company that slapped a hockey rink in the middle of Camp Randall Stadium. Well, thatâ??s certainly true in the case of the Super Bowl, judging by the halftime entertainment (college bands) and empty seats for the first one.

Revisit the “very cool” spectacle that was the Camp Randall Hockey Classic through twin time-lapse photography projects on Madison.com/sports.

Ben Street has emerged as the unofficial curator of memories from the last time the University of Wisconsin menâ??s hockey team played a game outdoors.

Years from now, when Brendan Smith has an AARP card and a pension, he will share two distinct memories about Saturday night with anyone who will listen.

The University of Wisconsin has won nine NCAA hockey championships — six by the men, three by the women — and yet the sport has never been as much a spectacle on campus as it was Saturday, when both programs took the ice as part of the Camp Randall Hockey Classic.

Fans lined up Friday afternoon at Camp Randall Stadium to check out a huge piece of hockey history.

A few fans got the chance to hit the ice at Camp Randall Friday night, but the open skate had some controversy surrounding it. Tickets for the open skate were gone in just 15 minutes, leaving some out of luck.

The inaugural Camp Randall Hockey Classic was not problem-free for UW Police. An estimated 55,000 fans attended the event.

If there was any doubt, outdoor hockey is proving to be quite a draw. Even though the UW will not break the attendance record they hoped for, people were buying tickets right up until the puck dropped.

A steady stream of fans began flowing into Camp Randall early Saturday afternoon.More than 52,000 tickets sold ahead of time assured a packed lower bowl in the stadium.

On Saturday, Camp Randall football stadium became Camp Randall hockey arena for both the Badger menâ??s and womenâ??s hockey teams. Camp Randall was filled with the same spirit, but fans were there to see hockey, not football.

A final report is expected soon from the committee reviewing the role of the UW-Madison Athletic Board.

The UW menâ??s basketball coach Bo Ryan is on board with the idea of increasing the field from 65 to 96 teams, which would be the biggest jump ever in the number of teams qualifying for the Big Dance.

When all is said and done, I think the Camp Randall Hockey Classic is going to be great theater and a fond memory for all involved. But it must be pointed out right off the top that, barring an extraordinary surge in community involvement, the CRHC will fail to deliver on its initial mission. When the inaugural event is staged Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium â?? outdoor games featuring the menâ??s and womenâ??s hockey teams from the University of Wisconsin â?? it wonâ??t set a world attendance record for an outdoor hockey match.

Saturdayâ??s Camp Randall Hockey Classic between the Wolverines and the Wisconsin Badgers is expected to draw more than 50,000 fans to the football venue built in 1918.

Itâ??s the Badgersâ?? first outdoor hockey game in Madison since it played outdoors regularly in 1935 before the program disbanded until 1963.

The UW menâ??s and womenâ??s hockey teams were in discovery mode Wednesday afternoon when they practiced for the first time on the new outdoor ice sheet at Camp Randall Stadium. The workouts took place the same day that school officials said advance ticket sales for the Camp Randall Hockey Classic, sponsored by Culverâ??s, had hit 50,000.

The builder of the ice rink to be used this weekend says, “I think everybody’s going to have a great time here Saturday” — which is exactly what UW officials are hoping for as a result of perhaps the greatest singular spectacle ever orchestrated by the Athletic Department.

If you wondered whether fifth-ranked Michigan State would run away and win the Big Ten Conference menâ??s basketball title without a legitimate challenge, think again.

If you wondered whether No. 16 Wisconsin – minus injured forward Jon Leuer – lacked the talent, depth or mettle to hang with the best teams in the nation and thus stay in the race for the title, think again.

UW ends a prolonged shooting slump with gusto, unloading a 3-point shooting barrage to hand Michigan State its first loss in Big Ten play and its seventh straight at the Kohl Center.

The UW football coach, entering his fifth year, is developing a reputation as a closer when it comes to recruiting.

Thirty years after the “Miracle on Ice,” Mark Johnson returns to the Winter Olympics for another shot at gold.

Dear Editor: I am extremely displeased with the handling of the public skating access and ticket availability for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to skate at Camp Randall Stadium on Feb. 5.

I cannot believe that the UW limited the skating to such so few people and limited access over such a tiny window of time.

Around Thanksgiving, my girlfriendâ??s brother, who lives in Illinois, bought 10 tickets to what will be the first outdoor hockey event at Camp Randall Stadium, which features the UW women against Bemidji State at 2 p.m. and the UW men against Michigan at 5 p.m. He invited us. We accepted. Hey, it was three months out.I accepted although I am a wimp about the cold. And now Saturday looms.

The Big Ten Conference is not poised to add Pittsburgh as its 12th member, despite a wildfire of Internet rumors to that end, according to sources at the University of Wisconsin and a statement by an administrator at Pitt.

University of Wisconsin hockey coaches Mike Eaves and Tracey DeKeyser on Monday christened the rink at Camp Randall Stadium that will host Saturdayâ??s outdoor doubleheader. The Camp Randall Hockey Classic pits DeKeyserâ??s UW women against Bemidji State at 2 p.m., with Eavesâ?? UW men hosting Michigan at 5 p.m.

Itâ??s not a stretch to say some of Barry Alvarezâ??s finest work during his days in Madison was taking place around this time 20 years ago. Over the course of six chaotic weeks in early 1990, Alvarez was hired as the coach of the University of Wisconsin football team, put together an impressive group of assistants and rounded up several players who helped the Badgers go from pathetic to Pasadena in less than four years.

Itâ??s already the fourth biggest outdoor hockey game in history and thereâ??s close to a week left before the puck drops. Thatâ??s good news for the UW, but it could be bad news if youâ??re heading to the game. This weekend, the UW stands to make about $250,000-to-$300,000 from the Camp Randall Hockey Classic.

Who owns “Who Dat?”S ome T-shirt makers are asking that question after they were hit with cease-and-desist letters from the NFL demanding that they stop selling shirts with the traditional cheer of New Orleans Saints fans. In a similar case, bookstores around the University of Wisconsin sold “Bucky Badger” T-shirts royalty-free for years _ until the university trademarked the mascot itself in the late 1980s and won its case in court.

Those headed to the Camp Randall Hockey Classic next weekend wonâ??t see beer gardens on Regent Street. Some confusion about the permit conditions for the bars led at least one to advertise a tented outdoor area, which the city quickly said was not allowed.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — To say the University of Wisconsin womenâ??s basketball team has not found success at Assembly Hall over the years would be an understatement.

Heading into Thursday nightâ??s Big Ten Conference game against Indiana, UW was 2-26 all-time at the venue.

But behind double-doubles from forwards Tara Steinbauer and Lin Zastrow and a defensive clampdown, the Badgers added to the victory column with a 55-47 decision over the Hoosiers.

Former University of Wisconsin and Madison Edgewood standout Katie Elliott has been named an assistant coach for the Badgers womenâ??s golf team, head coach Todd Oehrlein announced Thursday.

Elliott, whose UW career ended in 2008, led the Badgers in scoring average her last three years and was a second-team All-Big Ten selection in 2007. Her career average of 77.13 ranks second all-time for UW.

The Big Ten Network has announced that it will televise both games of the Camp Randall Hockey Classic on Feb. 6. The University of Wisconsin menâ??s and womenâ??s hockey teams are playing a doubleheader, with the women taking on Bemidji State in a WCHA tilt at 2 p.m. and the men following with a non-conference matchup against Michigan at 5 p.m.

Supplements are out, whole foods are in as the University of Wisconsin reshapes its nutritional message to student-athletes.

You could make the argument that University of Florida football coach Urban Meyer has taken on almost a Favresque appearance while vacillating on his immediate future. University of Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez, who coached the Badgers for 16 seasons, and says coaching college football is one of the most stressful jobs in sports. â??In college football, every week, every game is critically important. And the attention and the stress builds from game to game over a 12-week season.â?

The Camp Randall Hockey Classic is still more than a week away but at least one fan said planning could have been better — specifically the planning for a public stake the night before the games. “The opportunity to skate on the ice at Camp Randall — itâ??s special event,” said Curt Hellmer, a self-proclaimed University of Wisconsin hockey fanatic. “I just wish they would have treated it special.”

The Big Ten Network has announced that it will televise both games of the Camp Randall Hockey Classic on Feb. 6.

The University of Wisconsin menâ??s and womenâ??s hockey teams are playing a doubleheader, with the women taking on Bemidji State in a WCHA tilt at 2 p.m. and the men following with a non-conference matchup against Michigan at 5 p.m.

The menâ??s game will be televised live, while the womenâ??s game will follow on tape delay.

When Bret Bielema was named football coach at the University of Wisconsin, he had an easily identifiable tag — the second-youngest football coach in Division I-A in 2006. Bielema is still a relatively young coach, having turned 40 earlier this month, but he has a track record, too.

It took just 15 minutes for fans to scarf up all the slots for the upcoming public skating sessions at Camp Randall Stadium.

The free tickets for the Feb. 5 evening event were distributed online Monday morning at the University of Wisconsin athletic department website.

The skating sessions precede the Feb. 6 Camp Randall Hockey Classic, featuring the first outdoor collegiate game in Madison in the modern era of the menâ??s program and the first-ever outdoor game for the women.

On the heels of two gritty if not pretty victories, the University of Wisconsin menâ??s basketball team moved up to No. 16 in both major polls.

The University of Wisconsin menâ??s hockey team garnered several first-place votes in both major polls this week after taking three points form the top-ranked team in the nation, but will have to settle for the No. 2 ranking.

MONONA â?? I wonder how many Olympic-bound athletes got the kind of hometown send-off Jessie Vetter did Monday. I would say not many.

I would also say thatâ??s too bad.

In a couple weeks, Feb. 12 to be exact, the Winter Games will begin in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Vetter will anchor the U.S. womenâ??s hockey team as it pursues its first gold medal since 1998.

Oâ??Brien Schofieldâ??s NFL draft prospects took a serious hit Monday when the former University of Wisconsin athlete sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament during practice Monday for the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala.

The ice rink is beginning to take shape at Camp Randall in preparation for the Hockey Classic taking place February 6.Engineers are laying down specially cut pieces of foam to level out the playing field which is naturally sloped to provide runoff during football season.

The University of Wisconsin will host its second “Allergy Friendly” game at the Kohl Center on Feb. 7.

The womenâ??s hockey game against Bemidji State will have a number of special accommodations to allow families with food allergies to watch the Badgers play.

Preparations are already under way for the menâ??s and womenâ??s outdoor hockey matchups at Camp Randall Stadium. Camp Randall Stadium will literally become an ice bowl on Feb. 6.

An engaging personality helps the sophomore center provide a strong presence in the locker room.

The Wisconsin Alumni Association, the National W Club and the Mendota Gridiron Club are going to present their Big Red Rally on Feb. 4 at the Italian Community Center in Milwaukee. (Last item).

Construction crews will begin turning Camp Randall Stadium into an outdoor arena this weekend for the Camp Randall Hockey Classic on Feb. 6.