The Wisconsin men's hockey team (1-0-1) split their season-opening series with St. Lawrence (1-0-1) over the weekend in a pair of overtime games at the Kohl Center. Wisconsin came out on top Friday night 3-2, and lost Saturday's game 2-1.
\It's tough to get going in games again,"" head coach Mike Eaves said. ""We played a quality team, they made us work.""
The Badgers started out slow Friday night in a high-intensity first period that saw many chances, but no goals until the final two minutes. The surprise of the night came from freshmen on both sides, with four of the game's five total goals being scored by four different freshmen playing in their first collegiate game.
""There's some pretty good freshmen on both teams. We're pretty happy with our group, and [Wisconsin] has a fabulous recruiting class,"" St. Lawrence head coach Joe Marsh said.
With a minute and a half to go in the first period, the Saints scored a power play goal to take a 1-0 lead. Saints freshman forward Kevin DeVergilio found himself alone in front of the net with the puck and slid a backhand around Badger goaltender Brian Elliot into the goal.
The score remained 1-0 until late in the second period when the Saints freshman forward Brock McBride managed to get his stick free from Badger defenseman Kyle Klubertanz long enough to tip in a Paul Wallmann point shot to put the saints up 2-0.
Just over a minute later, Badger freshman forward Ben Street cut the deficit in half when he took a pass from junior forwardRobbie Earl and snuck a wrist shot under the glove of Saints goaltender Kevin Ackley.
The first half of the third period was a tough physical battle with many scoring chances for both teams, but no goals. Then Earl did what he does best: He scored a big goal late in the third period. Thirteen minutes into the third, Earl took a wrist shot from above the circle that clanged off the right pipe, then bounced off Ackley's back and into the net to tie the game at two.
""I think in the third period I kind of step it up and do what I gotta do to put the puck in the net and get a win,"" Earl said. ""I just pulled it back, stepped to the middle and shot it, nothing too great, I just got it on net and it went in.""
The tie held to the end of regulation time, and the game headed for overtime, where yet another freshman would earn his first collegiate goal. Madison native Jack Skille took a Ross Carlson flip pass and took it all the way to the house for a Badger victory. Skille skated around a diving defender and lost control of the puck, but the puck kept sliding, and as a Saints defender crashed into Ackley, it trickled in.
""Jack just went to the net and made a play at the net. You could call it a fluky goal but it's that ability to go to the net and good things will happen,"" Eaves said.
It took until after the halfway point in Saturday night's game for either team to get on the board. With just 11 seconds remaining in a Saints power play, Badger sophomore center Joe Pavelski snuck past two St. Lawrence defenders to take an Andrew Joudrey pass off the boards and go in on a breakaway. Pavelski skated in with both defenders hot on his heels and put the puck just over goaltender Justin Pesony's left leg pad.
The Badgers went on a five-on-three power play with just under five minutes to play in the second, but despite getting numerous scoring chances from Earl and Pavelski, they could not get the puck by Pesony.
Seven and a half minutes into the third period, the Badgers were threatening on the power play when Earl got slapped with a five minute major and a game misconduct for checking from behind. On the ensuing power play, Brock McBride of the Saints tipped a shot past Elliot to tie the game at one.
The Badgers went on the power play with less than two minutes to play in the third period and the game tied, but couldn't manage to light the lamp, so for the second straight night the game headed to overtime.
Fourteen seconds of overtime would be all St. Lawrence needed to win the game and head back to Canton, N.Y. with a series split. Junior forward Kyle Rank took the puck off a Badger turnover and snuck a slap shot past Elliot.
The Badgers have next weekend off, then they travel to St. Cloud, Minn. to open their WCHA conference schedule.
""What this weekend does is sets us up,"" Eaves said. ""We'll take the lessons and get ready for the WCHA opener in St. Cloud.\
