[media-credit name=’DEREK MONTGOMERY/Herald photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]When it comes to offense for the No. 1 Wisconsin men's hockey team, the first two goal-scorers that come to mind are Joe Pavelski and Robbie Earl, and rightfully so. But in the past two weeks the Badgers have proven that big goals can come from a variety of players.

Earl and Pavelski combined for 36 goals a year ago and sit atop the scoring charts for UW this year, but as of late, the Badgers have looked to their hard workers to pitch in timely goals.

In fact, of the nine Wisconsin goals in the past three games, only one has come from Earl and Pavelski has been held scoreless.

Those hard workers include senior captain Adam Burish, who has just three goals on the season, but three of them have been game-winners, including tallies against Michigan State and then top-ranked Michigan last weekend.

The new goal-scorers also include junior center Jake Dowell and senior winger Ryan MacMurchy.

"We've gotten a few goals going and we kind of need that because we can't just rely on the one unit," MacMurchy said.

Matched up together on the same line a few weeks ago, the two have built a newfound and increasingly-dangerous chemistry.

MacMurchy, at 6-foot-2, and the 6-foot-tall Dowell combine with 6-foot-1 freshman winger Jack Skille to form a line that is 615 pounds of rough-and-tough players who aren't afraid to throw their weight around, but can put the puck in the back of the net as well.

"There's three of us power forwards on one line so we all know we're just going to shoot the puck and we're all going to crash the net," MacMurchy said. "We're not going to do anything fancy out there. When you get three guys doing the same thing it just works sometimes."

"We've just wanted to use our bodies and use our weight against other teams and try to outwork them," Dowell said.

Two weeks ago, MacMurchy had just two goals and four assists through 10 games. Dowell was struggling even worse. He hadn't even posted a goal and had accumulated just four helpers.

But the two have stormed onto the scene as of late, and the Badgers' unbeaten streak probably would have been snapped without them.

"I'm starting to feel good and feeling good with the people I'm playing with and things are starting to click," Dowell said. "The last couple weekends we've played with a little more confidence and hopefully that continues."

Dowell got the weight off his shoulders, netting the game-winning goal in the Badgers' 3-2 victory over Minnesota State two weekends ago. He added a game-tying goal and another assist to his growing stat sheet against Michigan State and Michigan, respectively, this past weekend.

MacMurchy had two goals in the College Hockey Showcase last weekend, to go along with two assists in his last three games.

It isn't surprising that MacMurchy and Dowell have some chemistry together. Not only do they sport the same body type, but they also have similar mentalities.

"We play hard and we like to hit, and that creates chances when you have two guys doing that," MacMurchy said.

They have never been shy about putting pressure on themselves — in fact, many could argue that the two have put too much pressure on themselves at some points throughout their UW careers.

But as of late, the two of them together seem to have found just the right amount of pressure, and are putting it to good use.

"I think they put added, extra pressure on themselves because they're upperclassmen, they want to be a big part of this team's success," head coach Mike Eaves said. "They've come up big for us ever since they got that winning goal at home."

The old adage of "sticking to your game and eventually things will go your way" can become old and boring at times, but MacMurchy and Dowell's success is a prime example.

They were getting their chances early on in the season, and people even questioned when Dowell was going to start scoring, but they didn't change a thing.

"Whereas little chances weren't going in before, they're starting to go in and that's just a confidence booster," Dowell said.

They persisted with what they do best, and it's paying off — not just for themselves, but also for the Badgers — who will need timely goals against No. 4 Minnesota this weekend.

"It's definitely a combination of really trying to outwork [players] and use our body and our strength," Dowell said. "That's the way we're going to get goals. That's just the way it is."