The then-No. 8 Wisconsin Badgers (15-9-2, 8-8-0 Big Ten) were swept by border rival Minnesota (10-16-1, 6-10-0 Big Ten) in Minneapolis, losing 4-1 loss on Friday and a 8-4 loss on Saturday to extending the Badgers’ losing streak to six straight games..
With this weekend’s sweep, the Badgers are in freefall, having lost three straight series against Big Ten opponents in what turned out to be a brutal January for a club with national championship aspirations.
Badger penalty kill gives Gophers lead
Minnesota beat Wisconsin 4-1 on Friday, starting a disappointing series for the Badgers.
Struggling freshman goalie Daniel Hauser started opposite Minnesota’s Luca Di Pasquo. Hauser finished the night with a .875 save percentage, contributing to his dropping stats that now sit at a .901 save percentage.
Four minutes into the game, Wisconsin had an early power play but didn’t record a single shot during the two minute minor.
Following a period of slow offense, the Badgers went back on the power play with eight minutes to go in the first. Eight seconds into the man-advantage, the puck ricocheted off senior forward Tyson Dyck’s stick and slipped into the net behind Di Pasquo, despite a Gopher attempting to wack it out of the air. It extended Dyck’s point streak to seven games.
With Wisconsin leading, Badgers freshman forward Bruno Idžan was called for tripping with less than five minutes to go in the first period. Just 12 seconds later, neither Hauser nor junior defenseman Joe Palodichuk could stop L.J. Mooney’s snipe from the left circle, which tied the game 1-1.
Wisconsin struggled early in the second period and went on the penalty kill eight minutes in after senior defenseman Aiden Dubinsky was called for hooking. Nearing the end of the power play, Hauser was beaten from the left circle once again where Minnesota’s Erik Påhlsson took the 2-1 lead.
Less than two minutes later, Hauser couldn’t glove the redirected puck before Gopher Brodie Ziemer widened the gap 3-1.
The Badgers went on their third power play of the game with 6:17 remaining in the second, but managed zero shots.
Eight minutes into the third period, freshman forward Grady Deering and a Gopher both sat two minutes for roughing. Wisconsin took control of those two minutes but couldn’t narrow Minnesota’s lead.
Wisconsin head coach Mike Hastings pulled Hauser with 3:45 to go, and 20 seconds later, Minnesota’s Teddy Townsend grabbed the Gopher’s empty net to make it 4-1.
Hauser was pulled again after a delayed penalty put Wisconsin on the penalty, but time slipped away from the Badgers.
Angry from the impending loss, freshman defenseman Luke Osburn got into it with Di Pasquo with seconds to go. Wisconsin went on the power play after Osburn tousled with two Gophers.
Sophomore forward Adam Pietila was assessed a cross checking penalty with 22 seconds left, and sophomore defenseman Jack Phelan was assessed a roughing penalty just before the final buzzer.
Swept home
The Gophers crushed the Badgers 8-4 on Saturday as Hauser and Di Pasquo faced off again.
Minnesota had an early power play five minutes in after freshman forward Blake Montgomery was called for boarding. Minnesota took advantage of the power play, as Hauser was beaten from the right circle off a wrist shot from Ziemer.
Wisconsin had a few close chances to tie the game after a holding penalty put them on the power play, but Ziemer scored short handed after sloppy passes in the neutral zone. Senior defenseman Ben Dexheimer lost the puck to Mooney, who took it into the Badger’s defensive zone and passed it to Zeimer, who shot past Fitzgerald and Montgomery.
The Badgers, still on the power play, retaliated a minute later, as Dyck scored on a rebounding puck to make the game 2-1 with nine minutes left in the first period.
Senior forward Christian Fitzgerald was called for roughing with 6:03 to go in the first, and the Gophers scored a minute later as Ziemer fed the puck between his legs and flipped it over Hauser’s glove to make the game 3-1.
Wisconsin had a power play soon after but couldn’t score.
With 1:34 remaining in the period, sophomore defenseman Logan Hensler checked Minnesota’s John Whipple into the boards as Whipple was in the air. Whipple fell over Hensler, who caught his leg at an odd angle. Hensler was helped off the ice and didn’t return to the game.
Hastings pulled Hauser and replaced him with sophomore goaltender Eli Pulver.
A goal by Minnesota’s Erik Påhlsson with 38 seconds left in the period gave Minnesota a 4-1 lead.
With 8:32 to go in the second period, and Wisconsin desperately trying to get back in the game, Fitzgerald tore up the ice after Palodichuk won a puck battle on the blue line and beat Di Pasquo glove side to make the game 4-2.
But Wisconsin’s momentum didn’t last, as Dyck was called for hooking with 5:13 in the second period, and Gopher defenseman Luke Mittelstadt scored from a shot on the blue line for the 5-2 lead.
Wisconsin turned up the energy with a three-goal deficit over their heads, but Minnesota’s Beckett Hendrickson scored their sixth goal of the game to make it 6-2 before the end of the period. To the relief of the Badgers, Minnesota was assessed a roughing penalty after the final whistle to put Wisconsin on the man-advantage.
Going into the third period with a power play, Fitzgerald scored his second goal of the night 30 seconds into the period on a left circle snipe to bring Wisconsin within three.
Four-on-four play began two minutes and 14 seconds in when a Gopher was called for holding, while Dyck was called for embellishment. Påhlsson scored in Hauser’s five hole to put Wisconsin down 7-3.
After a faceoff draw with 10:27 to go in the third, Wisconsin continued to hang around, as Pietila scored from outside Di Pasquo’s crease to shorten the Minnesota lead 7-4.
With the Badgers clinging on, Pietila was called for unsportsmanlike conduct with just under seven minutes left in the game, leading to a Minnesota goal on the power play outside the two circles. The goal made the game 8-4 and cemented Wisconsin’s fate.
Wisconsin dominated in faceoff wins and lead in shots, but had nothing to show for it on the score sheet. The Badger defense was unstable in front of the net, leaving Hauser and Pulver to face tough shots against an ailing Gopher offense ranked No. 42 in the NCAA.
The Badgers are on their longest losing streak of the season and are set to face Big Ten opponents to finish out the season. With the loss to unranked Minnesota, Wisconsin is set to fall in the standings and will have to rely on Big Ten wins and the looming Big Ten Championship to secure a place in the NCAA tournament.
The Badgers are back at home at 7 p.m. on Friday to face Notre Dame at the Kohl Center.
