The University of Wisconsin men’s hockey team was able to squeak out at least a point this weekend against Michigan with a 4-4 (0-1 shootout loss) shootout tie Saturday following the 4-1 loss Friday.
With another six points, the Wolverines (19-4-4, 10-2-2-1) stay steady at the top of the Big Ten in a share with Minnesota while the Badgers (6-13-7, 1-8-3-1 Big Ten) move closer to climbing out of the bottom of the conference.
The Badger faithful packed the Kohl Center on a particularly cold weekend for a tight-knit series with the 6th ranked team in the country from Ann Arbor. Wisconsin kept the crowd on their feet Saturday, scoring in the last 12 seconds of the second period and the last 26 seconds of regulation to send the game to extra time.
The last-second fanatics and an onslaught of shots in overtime were not enough. The Badgers were shut out in the shootout through three sets and handed Michigan an escape from Madison.
“We can look back and pull a lot of positives from these games,” junior forward Grant Besse said, “But it’s just really disappointing, we’re disappointed in ourselves.”
Freshman forward Luke Kunin notched two goals and had a breakaway chance for a hat trick late in overtime Saturday, but was unable to lift the puck past veteran Michigan goalie Steve Racine. After his dominant weekend, he now leads the team in goals with 12 and is in close second in total points with 21.
Beyond his own performance, Kunin said he could see noticeable improvements in the team’s performance this weekend.
“You know what, it was nice to have everyone out on the ice playing well at the end like that,” Kunin said. “The puck was bouncing a little off for us, but really a better job by everyone.”
Coming off a bye week, the Badgers played with plenty of energy and aggressiveness on the offensive end, putting significant pressure on Racine to make some athletic saves late to secure the victories. Wisconsin actually won the shots on goal battle 41 to 31 Saturday, but was unable to finish the close opportunities needed to pull off the upset in overtime.
On the other end of the ice, Wisconsin freshman goalie Matt Jurusik played one of his best series, with 63 total saves against one of the most potent offenses in the nation.
“[Jurusik] made some great saves out there and I know he’d like to have a few of those back,” head coach Mike Eaves said. “But we, as a team, just weren’t able to get over the hump this weekend. These kinds of performances are draining, but we’ll get back to work.”
What’s quickly becoming a sore subject for the Badgers is nagging penalties in crucial game situations. Two power play goals for Michigan in the second and third period in Friday’s game put the Wolverines up 3-1 and sucked the life out of the Badgers, with the eventual empty net goal closing out a demoralizing loss.
Saturday was an improvement, but still proved to be a struggle as several late penalties cost the Badgers precious momentum gained from tying the game after every Michigan lead.
“It’s a pretty solemn feeling after losses like that,” Eaves said. “But this type of game is a test and will test our resolve. This is where you figure what kind of mental strength you have.”
The Badgers stay home next week to close out an eight game home stretch against Michigan State, while Michigan travels back home for a one-game series with Ferris State.
