Despite a thrilling overtime victory Friday against the Bulldogs of Minnesota-Duluth, the University of Wisconsin men's hockey team fell short of collecting its first weekend sweep this year in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.
Wisconsin (2-9-3 WCHA, 8-13-3 overall) triumphed 2-1 on Friday in a defensive struggle featuring two of the premier goalies in the league. Wisconsin senior goaltender Scott Kabotoff played his best game of the year, eliciting praise from the Kohl Center crowd and frustration from Minnesota-Duluth (6-5-3 WCHA, 10-8-4 overall).
\[Kabotoff] really was the reason why we won tonight,"" senior forward Brad Winchester said.
After a scoreless and offensively uneventful first period, senior forward John Eichelberger put the Badgers on the scoreboard midway through the second session. A flurry of offense in the third, however, yielded only a tying goal from Duluth's freshman forward T.J. Caig.
In overtime, Minnesota-Duluth was not able to end their ugly streak of nearly three years without a victory when trailing at the second intermission. Brad Winchester scored the game-winning goal halfway through the extra period thanks to a team-leading 13th assist of the year from sophomore center Alex Leavitt.
Said Head Coach Mike Eaves, ""We couldn't have scripted it any better.""
The play came after senior wing Rene Bourque forced a turnover at mid-ice and sent the puck to Leavitt, providing the Badgers with a two-on-one. The remaining Duluth defender was unable to stop both the pass from Leavitt and the shot from Winchester, lifting the fans off their feet in celebration.
""It was nice for our team to get a neutral-zone turnover and get a break for once,"" Bourque said. ""It was a big win for us.""
The win was Wisconsin's first home victory in the WCHA. The Bulldogs are the only league team the Badgers have won against this season.
Momentum was not enough for the Badgers on Saturday, though, as Minnesota-Duluth took control of nearly every facet of the game en route to a 6-2 blowout. The Bulldogs took a three-goal lead before Alex Leavitt could collect Wisconsin's first goal towards the end of the second period.
In the third period the Bulldog offensive did not abate, putting up three more scores. Minnesota-Duluth, aided by a dominant performance from freshman goalie Isaac Reichmuth, took the Badgers out of the game before long.
""[Reichmuth] played very well,"" Eaves said. ""He didn't know where the puck was and he was making saves.""
Both senior center Jon Francisco and freshman defender Ryan Geris scored two goals on the night for the Bulldogs. Badger freshman John Funk collected a shorthanded goal after converting on a breakaway late in the third.
The most egregious aspect of the Saturday night game was the penalties. A total of 38 penalties were handed out, adding up to 128 minutes. The most noteworthy infraction came when Wisconsin senior wing Erik Jensen received a disqualification after a heated fight in the third period. Two Bulldogs were also sent to the locker room by the end of the game.
A lack of even strength opportunities made it difficult for UW to get their already troubled offense going. At one point toward the end of the first period, a five-minute major penalty on Minnesota-Duluth was virtually negated after two calls against the home team.
""You're always disappointed when you lose, but I'm disappointed that we lost our composure and unraveled a little bit,"" Eaves said. ""That's not classy. We want to be something different than that, than what you saw out there tonight.""
Despite the unimpressive league record, the Badgers are still tied for eighth in the WCHA. To make it to fifth place and earn home-ice in the playoffs will be a Herculean task as the gap between the three spots is substantial. Six of the 10 teams in the league, two of which the Badgers would need to surmount, are rated amongst the Top 15 nationally, a testament to the depth of the WCHA.
The Badgers face their toughest road trip of the season over the next two weeks with games against No. 3 Colorado College and No. 11 Denver.
