The Wisconsin Badgers men's hockey team put an end to a hex this weekend. Then they got greedy.
The Badgers, emphatically putting an end to a 10-game losing streak at Mariucci Arena, swept the Minnesota Gophers in a two-game set on the strength of two four-goal efforts and steady goaltending from junior Brian Elliott, the National Player of the Month.
UW (10-0-2 WCHA, 13-1-2 overall) also added to the tally of consecutive games either won or tied. That streak now stands at 14, one victory or tie short of the record set in the 2003-'04 season.
When the team left Thursday for the series, the storyline surrounded the Badgers' futility over recent years in Minneapolis.
But that exercise came to its conclusion Friday night, as Wisconsin struck on Minnesota early and then held off the Gophers, who went on a late charge and nearly recovered from a three-goal deficit before the horn sounded on a 4-3 Badger win.
Just 27 seconds after the puck was dropped in the first period, senior captain Adam Burish blocked a shot from the point and skated the other way with junior forward Robbie Earl on a two-on-one break. Burish placed a perfect pass ahead of Earl, who one-timed it past goalie Kellen Briggs for the 1-0 lead.
The score was 1-1 heading into the second, after a late power-play goal by Minnesota tied the game. Sophomore forward Joe Pavelski and junior forward Ross Carlson combined to score two goals slightly more than a minute apart midway through the second. Pavelski's score, his ninth of the season, came with an advantage after he skated the length of the ice to beat Briggs.
Early in the third period, Pavelski gave Wisconsin a commanding 4-1 lead on another power-play goal with an assist from Earl.
The losing streak did not end without tense moments down the stretch. The Gophers, with just four minutes to play, cut the Badger lead to one and then went on the power-play with just over a minute remaining.
Minnesota pulled Briggs from the goal but still could not coax the puck past Elliott, who finished with 35 saves and his first assist of the season on Pavelski's second-period score.
Saturday, the Badger goaltender picked up where he left off in the last four minutes of Friday night's contest, turning in a sensational outing for his second shutout of the season.
The 4-0 victory by UW saw goals from Carlson, junior forward Jake Dowell and sophomore defensemen Kyle Klubertanz and Joe Piskula.
Heading into the highly-anticipated weekend match-up, Minnesota ranked number one in the nation in power-play efficiency with a 23.5 percent conversion rate. One reason the Badgers were able to escape from the Gopher digs with two wins is that they held their opponent to only one goal in 13 attempts, including 0-7 Saturday night.
All of it made for an impressive showing for the No. 1 ranked Badgers, who silenced a streak dating back more than five years as well as a crowd looking for a share of first place in the WCHA standings.
'It's kind of an eerie feeling to look up and see all of those people and hear no noise,' head coach Mike Eaves said Saturday night. 'It doesn't happen often in this building, but the silence was golden.'
