W
alking out of the Wisconsin men's
hockey locker room, Michael
Mersch is reminded on a daily basis
of the program's history. All he has
to do is read the numbers, and the
large print.
"There are some pretty cool things here that teams
can accomplish,'' he said.
On the facing wall is a numerical profile of UW's
success encompassing national championships, NCAA
playoff appearances, Frozen Fours, WCHA/Big Ten
championships and All-Americans.
There is one highlighted number, Mersch agreed,
that stands out from the rest.
6.
"A national championship is always the number one
goal,'' he said.
The Badgers have won six NCAA championships, a
proud legacy which is celebrated pictorially on the wall
adjacent to the locker room entrance in LaBahn Arena.
"I always look at that,'' Mersch confided.
The 1990 and 2006 teams are prominently featured
in opposite corners. Goaltender Brian Elliott, who
helped lead Wisconsin to the '06 title in Milwaukee, is
shown holding the NCAA plaque.
There is also some handwriting on the wall, so to
speak, an inspirational passage from a poem "In Flanders Field'' written during the first World War by John
McCrae, a Canadian lieutenant colonel.
"To you from failing hands we throw the torch …
"… be yours to hold it high.''
Mersch, a junior from Park Ridge, Ill., was asked
what those words meant to him.
"Obviously, there's a long history and a lot of legacy
at this school,'' he said, adding "I've watched that 2006
game and that's something special they put together
(as a team).
"You see those guys like (Adam) Burish and (Tom)
Gilbert around the rink during the summer and they
still have something to talk about. Obviously, we look
to work towards that type of goal.''
22.
That's another number of note; Mersch scored his
21st and 22nd goals of the season during last Saturday
night's win over St. Cloud State. He leads the WCHA in
goal scoring and ranks third nationally.
44 » VARSITY
MAR CH 14, 2013
