Georgia in December. The perfect chance to get out of the Wisconsin cold, right? Wrong. The Hodags did get to play against high profile teams in a great tournament, albeit in the cold.

Game 1: NC State vs. Wisconsin

The Hodags came out strong, jumping out to an early lead. The defense was stellar, limiting NC State's star player, Partick Hard, to only a few touches. The Hodags took an 8-2 halftime lead with strong play from the captains to the rookies. Despite a sloppy second half, the Hodags ended up winning 15-11.

Game 2: ECU vs. Wisconsin

The Hodags came out strong again, taking half 8-1 after showing a great zone defense led in the middle by captain Nate Franz. The Hodags got numerous turnovers near the goal and capitalized immediately, taking away any thoughts ECU had of and upset. Hodags, 15-4.

Game 3: Colorado vs. Wisconsin

This game was picked to be the most competitive game on the day. Colorado, the tournament's top seed, against a deep, athletic Hodag team. Both teams began trading points. The Hodags' handlers answered the Colorado challenge by shredding the defense all the way to the goal. Highlight of the first half was Andrew Brown catching his first of what is sure to be many UW goals.

As the daylight began to diminish, the Hodags saw another first year Hodag come up big. Itai Gurari's full layout stab for a goal, probably the best individual play this tournament, knotted the game 9-9. The Hodags took a 10-9 lead, but they couldn't finish and gave up 3 straight points to lose 12-10.

Quarterfinals: Florida vs. Wisconsin

This game started exactly how Florida wanted it to. After Wisconsin scored on its first possession, Florida ran off 5 goals in a row, scoring mostly using the deep throws. The Hodags started playing for real and went on a run of their own to take half 8-6 on an upwind goal caught by Pete Rank. The second half was one the Hodags will never forget. After trading a couple of points, they went up 10-7, then could not find a way to score. Florida tied it 10-10. The Hodags went up 11-10, but despite some great playing by Erik Gessert, the Hodags could not overcome the six turnovers the committed on the last two points and Florida prevailed 12-11.

The Hodags left Georgia very optimistic about the season. With added depth and experience, some key off season acquisitions, and added determination, the Hodags are hoping to contend for the National title.

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