[media-credit name=’AJ Maclean’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]The fifth-ranked Wisconsin men’s hockey team (17-6-1 overall, 14-4-0 WCHA) picked up a pair of victories this weekend to sweep Alaska-Anchorage (7-11-2 overall, 5-10-1 WCHA). UW opened the series in style, beating the Seawolves 6-1 Friday night before grinding its way to a 3-2 victory Saturday.

After opening the series with a blowout, the Ice Badgers had to scrap for everything Saturday. From the outset, Wisconsin did not look as sharp, but took an early lead on a nicely executed power-play goal from Jeff Likens. Freshman center Joe Pavelski took a pass from defenseman Kyle Klubertanz near the top of the left circle, and fed Likens in the right slot. The sophomore defenseman scored for his third goal of the season, beating Anchorage goaltender Nathan Lawson on the weak side.

The Seawolves answered back within two minutes on a Martin Stuchlik goal. Stuchlik beat Badger goaltender Brian Elliott, who started in place of Bernd Brückler, between the legs to tie the score at 1-1. Elliott, a sophomore who has spot-started this season to gain experience, made 21 saves in the game.

“Brian had played against Anchorage and had success up there,” UW head coach Mike Eaves said of his decision to start Elliott. “It seemed like the logical thing to do, and, as hard as he’s worked and as well as he’s doing in practice, he still has to do it in a game situation. With a sellout crowd — what better way to test a young man? He did a fine job tonight.”

Wisconsin regained the lead just over a minute into the final period. Pavelski lost the puck in traffic in front of the crease, and eventually Badger captain Adam Burish punched it home. The officiating crew had a lengthy discussion about the goal, but in the end the Badgers owned a 2-1 advantage.

However, once again Anchorage had an answer. Wisconsin struggled to move the puck out of its zone, and the Seawolves capitalized with 12:54 remaining in the game. Freshman Eric Walsky picked up a loose puck in front of goal, skated right, and beat Elliott for his first collegiate goal.

“I think [Anchorage] solidified their game. They played a lot better tonight,” Eaves said. “And I think we fought that whole human-nature instinct to relax a little bit. You beat a team as we did last night, and I don’t think we had the same preparation for tonight.”

UW finally broke out of its funk with 5:49 on the game clock. Junior Ryan MacMurchy sent a pass from near the left boards to sophomore Andrew Joudrey, who was cutting toward the net. Joudrey took the pass and sent the puck underneath the right leg of an outstretched Lawson for the game-winner. A late Anchorage penalty sealed UAA’s fate, as Wisconsin ended the game on a power play.

“The game could have gone either way with the second goal they scored,” Joudrey said. “But I thought everybody on the bench … realized that we still have to play and we still have to get back, stick with our discipline, stick with what got us there. And we did that, and that helped us get that goal.”

Saturday night’s nip-and-tuck affair was certainly a contrast to the events that transpired Friday. After a scoreless first period in which Wisconsin out-shot Anchorage 16-6, the Badgers’ dominance finally paid dividends in the second.

Robbie Earl scored the first of what would be three Badger power-play goals. Earl took a cross-ice pass from Ross Carlson at the bottom of the right circle and beat Lawson for his team-leading 11th goal of the season.

Wisconsin increased its lead less than three minutes later, with Pavelski doing the honors. The goal, scored just after a UW power play expired, came after a scramble in front of the Anchorage net. Pavelski collected the loose puck and scored the ninth goal of his freshman campaign.

“We started to pay a price to score goals,” Eaves said of his team’s scoring binge. “The second power play was not a pretty goal. It was a gritty goal. And that’s what we weren’t doing in the first period. We were shooting the puck, but we weren’t driving to the net, we weren’t trying to fight for position in front of the goaltender. We started to do that in the second period and we started to score goals and we picked our game to another level.”

All in all, the Badgers added three more goals before Anchorage could respond, with Nick Licari, Burish and Matt Ford tallying. Burish’s goal came shorthanded, after the Badgers had killed off part of a UAA 5-on-3-man advantage. Jake Dowell sent a long saucer pass, which Eaves deemed “serious Ragu,” to Burish, who had beaten the last defender. Burish fired the puck past Lawson glove-side.

“It was almost like a football pass,” Burish said. “I’m just timing it, timing it, timing it, hoping it’s going to come down. I waited just long enough and it just landed right on my stick.”

The Seawolves scored with 5:58 remaining in the game on a power-play goal by Stuchlik, the lone blemish on Brückler’s stat sheet. For the game, Brückler only needed to make 14 saves for his 13th win of the season. UW assistant captain Tom Gilbert scored yet another Badger power-play goal a little over three minutes later to cap the night.

“[Wisconsin is] very strong, and I just think the coaching staff has done an outstanding job with them,” Anchorage head coach John Hill said after seeing his team out-shot 51 to 15. “I’m very impressed.”