ST. CLOUD, Minn. - Senior goaltender Shane Connelly's final moments on the ice at the National Hockey Center this weekend were set to a chorus of boos, taunts and obscenities. That, and the sweet satisfaction of a shutout victory.
After falling 6-2 Friday night, Connelly and the Wisconsin men's hockey team bounced back for a 1-0 win Saturday night in front of a hostile crowd in St. Cloud.
I definitely wanted to go out with a bang,"" Connelly said. ""A 1-0 win was good closure for me, and I'm hoping to never come back here again.""
The Badger netminder has had trouble winning in St. Cloud throughout much of his career, and those demons got the better of him and the rest of the team Friday night.
St. Cloud State (8-5-0) got out to an early lead halfway through the first period with a shorthanded goal from Travis Novak, and a pair of Husky goals in the second period stretched the lead to 3-0 more than halfway through the contest.
Junior forward John Mitchell cut the deficit to 3-1 for Wisconsin (5-7-2) late in the second period when he snuck the puck between the pads of SCSU goalie Jase Weslosky. Despite outshooting the Huskies 24-14 through two periods, Wisconsin still trailed by two going into the third.
""We didn't do the things we talked about,"" head coach Mike Eaves said. ""We needed to go out and take care of the puck and do it as units of five, and we just broke down.""
St. Cloud State put the game on ice soon after the second intermission, scoring a trio of goals in less than three minutes early in the third period. Sophomore defenseman Brendan Smith added a power-play goal for the Badgers with less than five minutes left in the game, but it was too little, too late, as the Huskies skated to the easy 6-2 win.
""In the third period, it was like we were mesmerized by the puck,"" Eaves said. ""I don't know where they went or what happened.""
Looking to avenge Friday's loss, Wisconsin came out firing in the opening minutes of Saturday's game. The Badgers outshot St. Cloud 18-7 in the first frame, but Weslosky was equal to the task, and the game remained scoreless through 40 minutes.
The only goal Wisconsin would need came less than two minutes into the third period. SCSU's Weslosky gave up a rebound in front of the net and as he attempted to cover it, freshman forward Jordy Murray flipped the puck over Weslosky's shoulder, putting the Badgers ahead 1-0.
""Jake [Gardiner] just got it on net, and I got fortunate enough that the rebound bounced right on my stick,"" Murray said.
The Huskies had several opportunities to tie the game in the final minutes. UW sophomore defenseman Craig Johnson took a tripping penalty with just over four minutes left, and St. Cloud held the offensive zone for the remainder of the game. Connelly steered aside a number of scoring chances and hung tough, making 26 saves in the shutout.
""I was just hoping to take up as much net [as I could] and let [the puck] hit me,"" Connelly said.
The Badgers return home next weekend to face Michigan and Michigan State in the College Hockey Showcase. Faceoff is set for 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
