[media-credit name=’JEFF SCHORFHEIDE/Herald photo’ align=’alignright’ width=’336′][/media-credit]

Irony set in at the Kohl Center, and for Wisconsin, it
wasn’t sweet.

A night after getting the bounces and responding to critics
with a 6-2 victory over Denver in the Midwest Regional semifinals Saturday night,
the Badgers gave up a third-period lead and couldn’t catch a break in a 3-2
overtime loss to North Dakota Sunday in the regional final.

For Wisconsin, no bad bounce proved more costly than the one
in overtime.

Freshman Kyle Turris — after losing a faceoff — blocked the
initial shot out in front of the net, but the rebound went right to the stick
of UND’s Andrew Kozek. Wisconsin goaltender Shane Connelly was shielded on the
play and the junior forward took advantage.

Kozek slipped the puck past Connelly to send the Sioux to
its fourth consecutive Frozen Four.

“It stings a little bit tonight because we were so close,”
Wisconsin coach Mike Eaves said.

Overtime was set up by UW’s inability to hold a third-period
lead, which was uncharacteristic of the Badgers. Wisconsin has come from behind
to win or tie 13 games this season and had outscored its opponent 49-23 this
season in the final frame. Instead, it was North Dakota that scored
back-to-back third-period goals to erase a 2-0 deficit.

Senior center Rylan Kaip scored at the 3:33 mark of the
third and junior forward Ryan Duncan followed 47 seconds later with a goal of
his own to bring the Sioux back and take the momentum away from Wisconsin.

“Being a veteran team, North Dakota stayed on it and got themselves
back in the game,” Eaves said.

Wisconsin got the start it wanted for the second consecutive
night, jumping out to a 1-0 lead early in the second period when sophomore
defenseman Jamie McBain buried Turris’ pass from the right of the crease.

Cody Goloubef put the Badgers up 2-0 on a bizarre play. The
freshman defenseman slapped a shot from the point that hit off the backboards
and ricocheted back into play where it hit off North Dakota goaltender
Jean-Philippe Lamoureux’s leg and went in.

But for the amount of chances Wisconsin had in the first two
periods, including a clean breakaway by sophomore forward Michael Davies that
was turned aside by Lamoureux and four shots that clanked the posts, the
Badgers felt like they missed out on an opportunity to put the game away.

“We couldn’t get that next goal that maybe would have given
us a little bit more of a spread, that would have been harder to come back
from,” Eaves said.

Questioned by many for making the NCAA Tournament with a sub-.500
record, Wisconsin, behind two goals from Davies — including the ever-important
first tally of the game — came out with a chip on its shoulder Saturday against
Denver.

“We were just out there to prove a lot of people wrong,”
Davies said.

After Denver cut the UW lead to 2-1 with a power play goal
off the stick of Andrew Thomas, Wisconsin responded in a span of 60 seconds
with two third-period goals of its own.

Goloubef clanked a slap shot off the left post that, after
bouncing off the back of goaltender Peter Mannino on the deflection, trickled
into the net.

Sophomore forward John Mitchell then turned a hustle for a
loose puck into a breakaway, on which he split two Pioneer defensemen and then
Mannino’s pads.

“I just caught the defense off-guard. I was able to knock it
out of the zone and they weren’t ready for it,” said Mitchell, who was happy to
have redeemed himself after missing on an earlier chance out in front when the
Badgers held a 2-1 lead. “It just kind of worked out.”

Connelly played brilliantly, making 30 saves, including
several of the acrobatic variety. The posts also looked kindly upon the Badger
junior, as they turned aside four Denver shots.

“We had our chances,” Denver coach George Gwozdecky said.
“We had a number of great opportunities to score.”

“We put a lot of bodies in front of Connelly,” Denver
forward Andrew Thomas added. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t put it in.”

Connelly’s confidence was also aided by a UW penalty kill
that kept Denver off the board, despite having to play the entire two minutes
in its defensive zone.

“It helped me get into the game real early,” Connelly said.

Wisconsin scored first for just the 14th time this season
(11-3 in those games) when Davies grabbed a deflection off Mannino’s left pad
and pushed into a wide-open net.

McBain used a deflection of his own to Wisconsin a 2-0 lead
at 8:15 of the second period.

Denver cut the lead to 4-2 on a goal from Tom May, but the
difference proved to be too much to overcome.

Davies and Drewiske capped the scoring with a breakaway goal
and empty netter, respectively, for Wisconsin.