The No. 1 UW men's hockey team continued its dominance of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association this past weekend, sweeping No. 5 Colorado College at World Arena in Colorado Springs, Colo. The Badgers notched a 3-2 victory in Friday's game and overwhelmed the Tigers 9-1 in Saturday night's contest. The Badgers remained undefeated on the road this season, pushing their road record to an impressive 9-0-1.
In Friday's game, the Badgers (13-1-2 WCHA, 18-2-2) held on late to take down the Tigers (9-6-1, 17-8-1) 3-2. UW senior center A.J. Degenhardt netted his own rebound two minutes and 37 seconds into the first period, giving UW an early 1-0 lead. After a goal by Colorado's senior forward Brett Sterling evened the score at 1-1, UW senior defenseman Tom Gilbert responded with a slap shot which put the Badgers ahead 2-1 at the end of the first period.
After a scoreless second period, UW's offensive leader sophomore forward Joe Pavelski notched his 13th goal of the season on a Badger power play. The goal proved to be the game-winner and gave the Badgers a 3-1 lead with just under seven minutes to play in the third period. UW held on for the victory, surrendering only a power play goal before time expired.
Sophomore defenseman Joe Piskula had two assists for the Badgers, and junior goalie Brian Elliott saved 29 shots in the win.
Saturday night, the Badgers controlled the game from the onset, and routed the Tigers 9-1. UW came out firing, amassing six first-period goals, within a nine-minute stretch.
Following a five-minute checking-from-behind penalty on Colorado College, the Badgers scored four power play goals. They followed with two goals at even strength, and the 6-0 deficit at the end of the first period proved to be too much for the Tigers.
A slew of Badgers pitched in for the huge road win. Junior forwards Robbie Earl and Andrew Joudrey scored two goals each to pace the Badgers' scoring onslaught. Pavelski scored his team-leading 14th goal and had four assists in the contest. Pavelski is tied for fourth place in the WCHA in goals scored, and tied for fifth in overall points. Senior right-winger Ryan MacMurchy, junior Ross Carlson and freshman Jack Skille notched a goal apiece for UW. Elliott stopped a total of 20 shots in the blow out.
The Badgers continued their stellar special teams play by killing six power play opportunities by Colorado College. UW ranks first in the WCHA in the power play kill, allowing opponents only 14 goals in 120 chances'an 88.3 percent success rate. On the flip side, the Badgers converted on 4-of-6 power play opportunities.
UW extended their WCHA lead to eight points over second-place teams Minnesota and Denver. Pavelski was honored as the Red Baron/WCHA offensive player of the week, with his two goals on the weekend, including the game-winner in Friday's triumph. Additionally, Gilbert was awarded the Red Baron/WCHA co-defensive player of the week, scoring five points and leading the UW defense in stifling Colorado College's high-octane offense.
This weekend, UW hosts No. 19 Denver (9-5-2, 12-10-2) in a two-game series. The second-place Pioneers hope to crash the sold-out Kohl Center and suppress a Badger attack that seems to be running on all cylinders.
