It was another difficult weekend for the University of Wisconsin men’s hockey team with a series against Minnesota in which they were swept 3-0 and 3-2, respectfully.
The charging penalty assessed to Gopher forward Troy Riddle in the first period Saturday night permitted the Badgers’ first power-play opportunity of the contest. During the 120-second man advantage, UW failed to register a single shot with the puck residing in the Badger zone for less than 30 seconds amidst a plethora of poor passes, puck control and concentration: all factors that haunted Wisconsin in what seemed to be a must-win situation.
“The guys used the verbs before the game, let’s play desperate, let’s play with passion, let’s see a lot of second effort,” reported head coach Mike Eaves. “I think our work ethic was inconsistent [Saturday]. I was disappointed in the way we came out. I thought it was a desperate situation.”
The Badgers (1-7-0 WCHA, 5-11-0 overall) dropped their fifth and sixth consecutive games en route to the worst start in WCHA play since joining in 1969 and the first sweep at the hands of the Gophers in Madison since 1998.
Minnesota (6-2-2, 9-4-4), having won the past five games, extended its dominance over UW.
Saturday night’s game was plagued by Wisconsin’s inability to place shots on goal. After placing 31 pucks on net in Friday’s 3-0 loss, UW could only muster 17. It was the play of sophomore goaltender Bernd Bruckler that kept the game respectable, as he stymied the Gophers 43 times, including 15 attempts in the first period.
“I saw a lot of shots,” Bruckler said. “I’m frustrated to give up that third goal and I feel like I let my team down.”
However, Bruckler did anything but that. Not only did he make spectacular saves in the face of a high-pressuring offense. It was his play that allowed the Badgers to take the lead in the second period via a goal by freshman Ryan MacMurchy.
The lead ended less than three minutes later, when UM’s Jake Fleming answered by beating Bruckler through the five hole. Minnesota regained the lead after an errant puck found the crease and junior John Eichelberger’s skate to deflect into the net for a 2-1 lead.
Wisconsin’s power play, which had been a mere 1-42 since Nov. 15, finally shook loose. With the puck stuck along the boards, Rene Bourque corralled it and wrapped around the far side of the goal and shot, beating UM keeper Travis Weber to knot the game at two with seven minutes remaining.
However, the resilient Gophers solved Bruckler once again, taking him upper-shelf stick-side. The game winner occurred directly in front of Brad Winchester, who was skating back to play after serving his penalty for holding the stick.
Eaves put it best by saying, “details build empires.” Those details are painfully vacant at the time. Eaves said that the team’s progress has gone slower than expected but that the Badgers’ goal of playing their best hockey by March isn’t out of the question.
“I don’t think the foundations are built yet,” Bruckler said with a hint of urgency. “Everybody needs to buy in. Until the last the guy on the teams buys in, we’re going to have ups and downs. That needs to happen pretty soon.”
The Badgers concluded the first half of their WCHA season and will go on break after playing an exhibition game against Team Italy Thursday.
