HOUGHTON, Mich.—Looking only at the last time Wisconsin faced off against Michigan Tech, at the Kohl Center Dec. 4 and 5, you might think a pair of close wins at John MacInnes arena would be disappointing. Despite being obliterated by the Badgers the last time they met, getting outscored 14-2, Michigan Tech put up a better fight in an emotional final home series for their seniors, testing the Badger offense that was without its top scorer and frustrating junior goaltender Scott Gudmandson.
Wisconsin stood tall in the test, however, and emerged with a pair of WCHA wins that secured it sole possession of second place in the conference. Head coach Mike Eaves said he was extremely pleased with the way his team responded to the resurgent Huskies.
""I don't care if a team's got five wins, 10 wins, 20 wins, it's hard to win in somebody else's building,"" Eaves said after the sweep-clinching victory Saturday night.
One of the factors that put Wisconsin's sweep in doubt was the shaky play of Gudmandson Friday night. Coming into the series, Eaves had said he would give both Gudmandson and fellow junior goaltender Brett Bennett a chance to start in the two games against Michigan Tech. However, despite a poor, if improving, performance from Gudmandson Friday, Eaves gave him the nod Saturday night and was not disappointed.
Gudmandson allowed two first-period goals in the opener, one on a deflection and the other when he could not corral the rebound from a high shot and the Huskies punched it in. He appeared hesitant when playing the puck throughout the first two periods but seemed to regain his confidence in the third, making some good saves that helped Wisconsin pull away and take the win.
""They got a little momentum, and I think that's when Guddy made some really good saves that kept it 4-2 instead of 4-3, and that was an important part of the game for us,"" Eaves said Friday. ""We might be talking in a different tone if we didn't have Guddy make those saves.""
On the other side of the ice, freshman Husky goaltender Kevin Genoe was impressive but ultimately could not keep up with the relentless Badger attack. Wisconsin fired 63 shots on goal Friday night, and although Genoe kept the Badgers at bay for most of the game, they wore him down and scored three third-period goals to take the win.
""He was solid pipe to pipe, he did everything he needed to keep his team in it,"" said sophomore forward Derek Stepan, who assisted on two Wisconsin goals.
Eaves said he was proud of the way his team didn't get frustrated with Genoe's performance and stayed with the patient game plan.
""I thought our team showed a lot of maturity in not pressing, not trying to go outside the lines and do something that they thought they had to be a hero,"" Eaves said. ""We stayed with the plan and stayed persistent and were rewarded for it.""
It was a surprise to see Gudmandson listed in front of Bennett the next day, but Eaves said he liked the way his confidence improved in the third period of Friday's win and decided to give him the start. Gudmandson was solid in net Saturday, making more crucial saves to keep Wisconsin in control as the Badgers again came alive with a trio of third-period goals to take another 5-2 win.
Wisconsin will now prepare for a road series with Border Battle rival Minnesota next weekend in the Badgers' final series of the regular season.
