With home ice advantage for the WCHA playoffs on the line, the No. 18 Wisconsin men's hockey team had plenty to play for this weekend against No. 17 Colorado College.
Wisconsin came out inspired and played two of its best games in a long time. However, with a heartbreaking 3-2 loss on Friday home ice advantage was lost, but the Badgers rebounded with a 3-1 victory the next night to preserve optimism heading into next weekend's playoff rematch with the Tigers.
The Badgers have struggled on Friday nights this season, but that wasn't the case against CC. In the series opener the Badgers were all over the Tigers and were the dominant team for most of the night.
Wisconsin held a 2-1 lead late in the third period thanks to goals from junior defenseman Jake Gardiner and senior forward Patrick Johnson, but the Badgers let CC hang around, and against a team of CC's caliber, you have to put them away or they will make you pay.
CC tied the game with 5:23 left to play. Senior forward Stephen Schultz fired a shot from the point that found the back of the net.
The Tigers got the opportunity they needed to complete the comeback when Badgers' sophomore defender John Ramage took a five-minute penalty for a hit to the back. CC quickly took advantage with a 2-on-1, and junior forward David Civitarese netted the game winner.
The win gave CCthe two points it needed to lock up the last home ice seed for the WCHA playoffs.
""For the first two and a half periods, I think we were pretty good,"" Wisconsin head coach Mike Eaves said. ""Once we got halfway through the third, human nature set in a little bit. We took our foot off the accelerator.""
Friday's loss ensured that the series finale on Saturday would be the last home game for the Badgers' six seniors, and the team made sure to send them out the right way.
For the first time in eight games the Badgers got on the board first. Two minutes into the second and UW shorthanded, sophomore forward Craig Smith came down the right wing and slipped a shot past the Tiger goalie, giving Wisconsin a lead it would not relinquish.
Johnson added his second goal of the series and his fifth in the past five games later in the period to extend the lead to 2-0.
CC cut the lead to 2-1 halfway through the final period, but sophomore defenseman Justin Schultz ensured there would be no comeback this time, scoring his 18th goal of the season.
The 3-1 victory snapped Wisconsin's six-game winless streak and sent the Badgers' seniors off on a high note.
""After the game, a bunch of seniors had a bit of tears in their eyes. There is no place like this place. It was really emotional tonight,"" Johnson said. ""We finally got rid of our winless streak and got a W which was good. We ended off well.""
The win, coupled with St. Cloud State's loss to Denver later that night, ensured that the Badgers and Tigers will meet again next weekend in Colorado Springs in the WCHA playoffs.
""We finally, hopefully, got the boat turned around,"" Eaves said. ""We've got the wind going in our sails now, and we've got something to pick up on here as we go into the playoffs.""