[media-credit name=’AJ MACLEAN/Herald photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]After splitting the opening two games of its opening round WCHA playoff series with Alaska-Anchorage, Wisconsin gritted its way to a 2-1 victory Sunday night at Veterans Memorial Coliseum. A night after falling to the Seawolves, the Badgers capitalized on rebound chances to earn a trip to their first WCHA Final Five under head coach Mike Eaves.

“There’s a happy group of young men in there just because this has been really hard for us to get there first of all,” Eaves said of getting to the Final Five. “We’ve had two cracks at it and haven’t had the success that we would have wanted in any of them until this year.”

Badger captain Adam Burish scored his second game-winning goal of the series on a puck that deflected off of his leg. Junior Nick Licari sent a shot from the point, Burish crashed the net hard and the puck ended up in the back of the net.

“With my thigh, I just tried to bring it with me,” Burish said. “I saw it come up into my thigh area, and I just tried to go with it.”

Anchorage head coach John Hill, whose team scored a goal after the whistle had blown, saw Burish’s winning goal slightly differently.

“I guess the difference in the game is kicking motion, second goal allowed, man-in-the-crease goal disallowed,” Hill said. “That’s the only difference in the game.”

Burish also scored the game-winner Friday night to give Wisconsin the opening-game win in the series.

Wisconsin fell behind for the second night in a row, as sophomore defenseman Chad Anderson ripped a shot from the left point past UW goaltender Bernd Bruckler to give Anchorage a 1-0 advantage. Anderson’s shot through traffic beat Bruckler glove side for his first point of the series.

With his team trailing after the first period, freshman forward Joe Pavelski once again stepped to the forefront. Just as he had the night before in the Badgers’ 2-1 loss, Pavelski tallied a second-period goal to tie the game at 1-1. Pavelski’s rebound goal gave him four for the series, to go along with a pair of assists.

“[Pavelski] captained a national championship USHL team last year that went through three or four rounds of best out of five,” Eaves said. “And it’s just a war. It was just like today, we played three in three nights also. So he’s been through this. He knows what it takes to be a champion, and he rose to the occasion.”

Fellow freshman Joe Piskula created the initial chance, bringing the puck in down the left side and sending a backhand, which Anchorage goalie Nathan Lawson stopped. Pavelski collected the puck and fired a shot amid a number of players for the tying goal.

For the third consecutive night, Lawson stood tall in net for the Seawolves, stopping 37 shots to raise his series total to 126. Junior John DeCaro started the series opener, a 5-4 come-from-behind UW victory, but was lifted in favor of Lawson after allowing two goals in the first five minutes of the game.

“Our goalies have been outstanding,” Hill said. “Nathan had to play darn near, for all intensive purposes, nine periods of hockey.”

Bruckler made 27 saves in net for Wisconsin to end a tumultuous weekend. After allowing four goals in Friday’s game, he was pulled midway through for backup Brian Elliott. Elliott also started in Saturday’s loss.

“He’s a heck of a goalie, he’s had a great career here, he’s probably going to win some big games for them before it’s done and I think it was a good move going back with him, and that’s no disrespect to Elliott,” Hill said.

Wisconsin played without sophomore center Jake Dowell following a scrum with Anchorage forward Shea Hamilton in Saturday’s contest. Hamilton was immediately ejected and suspended for the series finale, but Dowell’s punishment was not handed down until Sunday.

“We just knew more guys were going to have to step up,” Pavelski said. “Jake’s a big part of this team, and you lose him, you lose a big, physical aspect to our team.”

After surviving the first-round scare, Wisconsin will now turn its attention to North Dakota, who they will face in Thursday’s Final Five opener in St. Paul, Minn.

“This is such a tough, competitive league, that when it comes playoff time, you just can’t coast into the Final Five,” Burish said. “And now that we’re there, it’s just kind of relieving.”