The College Hockey Showcase proved to be a coming-out party for the Wisconsin men’s hockey team. The Badgers extended their unbeaten streak to ten games with upset wins over Michigan and Michigan State.
Freshman Jeff Likens notched the overtime game-winning goal in the Badgers’ 2-1 win over the Michigan State Spartans Saturday night. After beating No. 5 Michigan 3-1 Friday night, Wisconsin left the Showcase with a sweep.
In the net for Wisconsin was freshman goalie Brian Elliott, in his second showing of the season. The freshman kept the Spartans off the scoreboard in the first period thanks in part to the work of his defense. Spartan netminder Matt Migliaccio did not find as much success, as UW’s Tom Sawatske used a three-on-two break away to put the Badgers up 1-0 at 13:59 of the first.
The Badgers continued to dominate in the second period, killing two of the four MSU power plays in the game. Elliott continued his efforts between the posts and kept the Spartans scoreless through the first 40 minutes of play. Wisconsin out-shot Michigan State 23-19 in the first two periods of the game.
An energized Michigan State team came out of the locker room for the third period. Spartan Mike Lalonde slipped the puck across the crease to tie the game and end Elliot’s shutout bid. The goal came with 6:12 left in the game. After short penalty kills by both teams, the regulation time expired and the teams headed into overtime.
At the 1:07 mark of OT, Likens took a long shot toward Migliaccio as Ryan MacMurchy waited near the goal for the rebound. Instead, the puck bounced off the goalie’s shoulder and through the posts to give UW the victory. Likens’ power-play goal, his first collegiate score, was assisted by Rene Bourque and Ryan Suter.
The No. 14 Spartans fell to 8-7-1 with the loss, while UW’s Elliott improved to 2-0-0, making 29 saves in the contest. Wisconsin tallied 35 shots on goal in 61:07 of play.
Friday night UW defeated No. 5 Michigan for the first time since 1993 with a 3-1 victory.
Senior defenseman Dan Boeser scored his third goal and eighth point of the season by trailing a deflected pass from Robbie Earl and sailing it into the net to give Wisconsin the first tally of the evening at 17:47 in the first.
UW’s Bernd Brückler made eight saves in the second period. However, he could not stop Jason Ryzner, who gave UM its lone tally of the evening at 19:21 in the second.
In the third period, UW’s leading goal scorer, MacMurchy scooped the puck around the right post and across the crease off of a pass from Andrew Joudrey to take advantage of a power play and put the Badgers up 2-1 with less than eight minutes left in the game. The goal, MacMurchy’s eighth in 13 games, was also assisted by Likens. Soon after, Boeser nearly scored for a second time in the game as the puck made it past the legs of the Michigan goalie, but Montoya scrambled to stop it before it crossed the goal line. As the time ticked away, Michigan pulled Montoya for an extra attacker, but Rene Bourque took the puck down the ice and tallied an empty net goal at 19:37 to finish off the Wolverines. Andy Wozniewski earned an assist on the goal. The Badgers limited the Wolverines to only four shots on goal in the third period.
Brückler (6-3-3) made 23 saves in the game, allowing only one goal. Montoya also stopped 23, but gave up two goals.
The Badgers’ four road wins this season gives them one more than they earned all of last season. UW’s victory was also its first win over Michigan since the inaugural College Hockey Showcase in November of 1993 and the first victory in Ann Arbor since November 21, 1980.
