After extending their unbeaten streak to a season-high six games Friday night at the Kohl Center, the Wisconsin Badger men's hockey team saw its run come to an abrupt end in an overtime loss Saturday against Minnesota-Duluth.
The series split means the teams will remain in a tie for fourth place in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association standings.
The Badgers (8-9-3 WCHA, 12-11-5 overall) had a chance to build a sizeable separation between themselves and Duluth after Friday night's 3-1 win. Their execution was not as sound as head coach Mike Eaves would have liked, but they managed to come back after an early second period power play goal by senior Bulldog defenseman Travis Gawryletz.
Midway through the second period, sophomore defenseman Jamie McBain, trailing as the third man on a 2-on-1 breakout, tied the game with his third goal of the season, beating sophomore goaltender Alex Stalock.
Then, a little more than three minutes later, sophomore winger Blake Geoffrion put the Badgers up for good with his power play goal.
UW junior goalie Shane Connelly made 29 saves to earn his 11th win. Junior Ben Street added a late empty-netter, his 12th goal of the year.
Eaves made it clear that even though his team had won and extended its unbeaten streak to six games, it was not the best game of the season execution-wise.
At moments we did some good things,"" he said. ""And at moments, I'm scratching my head saying, 'What are we doing?'""
On Saturday, the Badgers again battled back after their opponent put a goal on the scoreboard first for the third straight game.
Only 3:11 into the first period, on a Badger power play, the puck ended up against the boards in the Badger zone, where UW senior defenseman Kyle Klubertanz lost it to Bulldog junior Andrew Carroll. Duluth's assistant captain took it right to the front of the net and put it past Connelly for his seventh goal of the year. It was the eighth time this year the Badgers had allowed a shorthanded goal.
Six minutes into the second period, though, Street found senior Matthew Ford streaking to the net on a UW power play. Ford took the spot-on pass and beat Stalock for his fourth goal this season to tie the game.
That score held all the way until one minute into overtime. Duluth sophomore Jordan Fulton redirected a shot from the point past Connelly, who had 21 saves, stunning the crowd at the Kohl Center and prompting a celebration on the ice for the Bulldogs, who are dead even again with UW in the WCHA standings.
Connelly said he was not expecting the Bulldogs to shoot from the blue line. ""I didn't see it really until it was in the back of the net,"" he said.
On a night when the Badgers held a distinct advantage in shots, Ford made it sound like the team had missed a prime opportunity to keep the streak alive and make more progress in the standings.
""It's disappointing,"" he said. ""We had our chances, and it probably never should have went to overtime. That's what happens when it's sudden death. That sort of things happens - not much we can do about it now. Just build on it next week.""
