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31 sians in the "eight-inning" shootout, Zenger- le sent a congratulatory text to Kane, who assisted on a goal scored by Joe Pavelski, a former UW skater. Zengerle's friendship with Kane dates back to their youth hockey days in New York state; Zengerle is from Rochester and Kane is from Buffalo. His text was to the point, "Nice game." Kane could have returned the favor after Zengerle scored twice, including the game- winner, in Wisconsin's 4-2 decision over Ohio State last Saturday. It was his first mul- tiple-goal outing since 2011. Zengerle now has six goals in 28 games, with his last four points coming on goals; a distinct turnaround for someone who's more accustomed to setting up others. He has 112 career assists. During his Tuesday press conference, Wiscon- sin coach Mike Eaves made reference to the nine seniors who will be recognized before Saturday's game against Michigan State at the Kohl Center. When asked who has come the furthest since their freshman year, he said, "I don't know if someone has distinguished themselves as being way ahead of somebody else." But he cited the Tuesday morning practice and singled out one of his seniors by name. "Mark Zengerle goes in on a two-on-one," Eaves said, "and he absolutely read the situation and made a great move on the goaltender and scored himself. "Two years ago, he would have tried to pass the puck no matter what. So, on the ice, that (develop- ment) has taken place. "I could go through every player and tell you how each one has grown. I don't know which one has separated themselves the most … the growth of ev- ery one of them has been substantial." • • • • Z engerle arrived on campus as a 21-year-old freshman who had gone away to prep school at Northwood Prep in Lake Placid, which also turned out former UW stars Tony Granato and Mike Richter. After playing three seasons of junior hockey ― one year with the Syracuse Stars of the EJHL and two with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks in the BCHL ― he was more mature than most of his classmates. "Coming in as a freshman, I had three years of juniors under my belt with different coaches who preached different things," he said. "I came in and I was an immediate contributor. I didn't have to sit." But he did have to learn how to learn again ― in the classroom. "When you're out of school for three years, you have to adjust and get back into the whole school thing," he said. "I came back into organized life and there was a little change." Zengerle roomed with Tyler Barnes, a product of Burnsville (Minn.) High School and Waterloo of the "I KNOW THE FANS LOVE HIM. HE'S ONE OF THEIR FAVORITES," BARNES SAID OF ZENGERLE. "HE'S A LITTLE BIT FLASHY AND HE PLAYS WITH ENERGY AND PASSION. THAT'S SOME- THING THE FANS REALLY NOTICE." DAVID STLUKA