The Wisconsin men’s hockey team, sparked by a 7-0-exhibition victory over team Italy Dec. 12, took its eighth Badger Hockey Showdown title in the last 14 years.

The Badgers, after a three-week layoff for finals and the holidays, used their newfound offense by trouncing Colgate 2-1 Dec. 29 in the first round and then beating a familiar foe in Northern Michigan in the championship, 3-1. The victory extended UW’s perfect record against UNM to 3-0 in the tournament’s championship contests.

The combination of near-perfect netminding from Bernd Bruckler and Scott Kabotoff and a UW offense that had all but disappeared since Thanksgiving gave the Badgers the needed edge. Colgate had two defensive lapses around the 10-minute mark of the first period, yielding two Badger goals. Defenseman Brian Fahey scored off two quick but nifty passes by Brad Winchester and Adam Funk. Pete Talafous scored the game-winner just 30 seconds later by taking a rebound from Ryan MacMurchy to the back of the net. The lone goal by Colgate was scored with just 19 seconds remaining in the first period.

In UW’s 3-1 win against Northern Michigan, the Badger defense took control, limiting UNM to just 16 shots including zero in the third period. Wisconsin, who outshot UNM 33-16, once again bagged the game’s first goal. Rene Bourque scored his eighth goal of the season on a breakaway with only three seconds left in the first period, giving UW momentum and a 1-0 lead.

A Badger penalty yielded a UNM power play that knotted the game just two minutes into second period. However, Wisconsin countered by dominating the rest of the period and the game. Seventeen shots were taken in the second, including freshman Tom Gilbert’s game-winning backhand score. UW put together its most impressive defensive period in the third, not allowing Kabotoff a glimpse of rubber. An empty-net goal by Funk finalized the game at 3-1.

Fahey was tabbed as the tournament’s most valuable player with a goal and an assist.

Captains named: Head coach Mike Eaves told the media at the beginning of the season that he would not name the team’s captains until after Christmas, instead opting to rotate the assignment of team leader from weekend to weekend. After the Badger Showdown, the team’s players and coaches voted.

Senior wing Brad Winchester received the most points and earned the captain position, the first time since Barry Ritcher (1992-93) that a Madison native has earned the honor. A second-round draft pick of the Edmonton Oilers, Winchester is the team’s career leader in goals, assistants and points (35-41-76).

Senior defenseman Brian Fahey and junior defenseman Dan Boeser earned assistant captain positions. Fahey has been the iron man of the UW squad, missing only four games throughout his career. Boeser battled back from cancer this past September, only to be sidelined with a hand injury after playing in three games. As a sophomore, Boeser was one of the top defensive players in the WCHA.

Injury update: Freshman Adam Burish sustained a broken collarbone in the Jan. 10 contest versus Alaska-Anchorage. Burish is expected to sit out four to six weeks. His earliest return would be during the WCHA conference playoffs.

“[The doctor is] going to keep him in a brace,” head coach Mike Eaves said. “They don’t think they’re going to have to do anything other than that and let Mother Nature take its course.”