by Jacob Cheris/CHN Reporter
When Mike Hastings took the job as the Wisconsin Badgers’ sixth head coach in program history, no one was expecting a complete 180 in performance. From dead last in the Big Ten a season ago under Tony Granato, to now a top-5 team in the nation, Hastings has put Wisconsin (22-6-2, 13-4-1) right back on the map in the college hockey landscape.
Not only has the 58-year-old bench boss instilled new life in the locker room with his voice, but he has also unlocked another gear with some of his players. No one on the Wisconsin roster has taken a bigger leap forward in his collegiate career than sophomore winger Simon Tassy.
The 22-year-old played under Hastings last season at Minnesota State, where he only racked up five points (one goal, four assists) in 15 games. This season, however, he leads the Badgers with 12 goals and is second on the team with 24 points. Tassy finds himself getting rewarded on the scoresheet in front of the net and getting in the opposing goaltender’s face, which is something that he takes pride in doing and a huge reason why he’s had a breakout year.
“I’ve been trying not to overthink too much. I’ve just been trying to get to the net,” Tassy said. “So just trying to play as a power forward, try to focus on not changing my game but just focusing on being more of a complete player. I just think just being around the net and I’ve been scoring a few goals. So I think that was big on why I’ve been able to have a few goals this year.”
Playing that gritty and scrappy style was not always in the Montreal native’s arsenal. However, once he started playing at the collegiate level, he knew he had to simplify his game and not be the flashy superstar he was in his early playing days.
“Growing up I was always trying to be the skill guy and stuff like that, I wasn’t hitting anybody or anything like that,” Tassy said. “Honestly, like last year the 15 games I played I just realized that everybody’s so skilled here and the way they just try to stick out from everybody else. I knew it was going to be that way and I have a blast doing it.”
“He’s a guy that I believe thinks [the game] well and when he utilizes his skating ability. And it’s in a north and south manner at getting to the net on their end and…
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