The Wisconsin men’s ice hockey team (14-6-6) came into last weekend’s series against Notre Dame at the Kohl Center struggling to regain its footing. After reeling off a 15-game unbeaten streak that had the Badgers ranked as one of the top three teams in the nation, Wisconsin had only picked up two wins in their previous six contests. With tough conference matchups against Colorado College, Minnesota, North Dakota and St. Cloud State in the next month, all four ranked in the top fifteen nationally, Wisconsin needed to regain some confidence against unranked Notre Dame for a stretch run that had the potential to make or break this season.
Unfortunately for head coach Mike Eaves and the Badgers, the puck seemed to bounce the wrong way every time against a Fighting Irish squad that was tougher than advertised. Despite heftily out-shooting the Irish 69 to 40 over the two-game set, the Badgers couldn’t get the right breaks at the right times to convert on-ice dominance into results in the win column.
In Saturday night’s contest, Notre Dame came out strong and fought Wisconsin punch for punch for two periods. The Badgers led off the scoring six minutes into the game with a power play goal by senior forward John Eichelberger.
Irish netminder Morgan Cey took a shot from Badger defenseman Jeff Likens off his chest, but couldn’t hold on to the puck. Eichelberger took advantage of the rebound, burying his first goal of the season.
Notre Dame fought back with just under six minutes remaining in the first period. Badger goaltender Bernd Bruckler bobbled the puck after a shot from Notre Dame’s leading scorer, Rob Globke. Irish captain Aaron Gill was there to take advantage, poking the puck past Bruckler with just enough pace to tie the game.
In the second period, the Badgers again took the lead through Eichelberger’s persistent play. Badger captain Rene Bourque found himself with the puck less than ten feet from the net. Wisconsin’s point leader wound up and gave Cey all he could handle. Cey got a piece of the puck, but Eichelberger stormed in and knocked in the rebound.
After two periods of close play, in a pattern that has become something of a Kohl Center trademark this season, the Badgers wrote an entirely different story in the third period. Leading by a goal, Eaves’ squad came out and put forth a dominant effort that should have easily put a ‘W’ in the bag.
But the Irish had luck on their side. Wisconsin forward Ryan MacMurchy took a boarding penalty early in the third, and Notre Dame quickly converted. With the puck deep in their own zone, the Badgers tried to push the play up ice. A bad bounce brought the puck to Gill in the slot. He took a quick shot and netted his second goal of the game.
The goal was one of only two shots the Irish would tally in the period, and was their only true scoring chance. The Badgers dominated the rest of the way, putting 17 shots on net. Yet, when regulation expired, a stupefied home crowd stared unbelievingly at a scoreboard that showed the game at a 2-2 tie.
The two teams played to a stand-still in overtime, with neither mounting a serious or sustained attack. The tie was a solid effort on the Badgers’ part, but without the corresponding result.
“I am satisfied with the effort,” Eaves said after the game. “It doesn’t feel as good inside because we didn’t get the result. That’s just because we have such high expectations now.”
If Saturday night’s tie was frustrating for Eaves, Sunday’s result must have been doubly so. Both teams went with alternate goaltenders and the move burnt the Badgers, despite a dominant offensive and defensive performance.
UW came out with vengeance, putting 13 shots on net in the first period of play. Notre Dame looked to be in serious trouble, struggling their way to only two shots. But the Irish kept it close. Goaltender David Brown stoned the Badgers on all but one of their opportunities on his way to an impressive showing.
Eichelberger tallied his third point of the weekend, sliding the puck to a wide-open Bourque in the slot. Bourque quickly released a backhand shot that found its way through Brown’s five-hole.
Wisconsin continued to dominate in the second period. Unfortunately for the Badgers, backup Brian Elliot, cold after seeing only two shots in the first period and a half of the game, let a weak shot by Notre Dame forward Mike Walsh drift over his glove to tie the game.
The goal seemed to knock the wind out of the Badgers. Frustrated, Eaves’ squad took a series of bad penalties, allowing Notre Dame to control play the rest of the way. Down two men late in the third period, Globke got his third point of the weekend, sailing the puck over Elliot’s shoulder.
Wisconsin couldn’t find a way to break Notre Dame’s defense the rest of the way. An empty net goal by Globke with under a minute to play sealed a disappointing winless weekend at the Kohl Center for Eaves’ squad. The Badgers (2-3-2 in the past seven games) will need to start getting some of the good bounces they were getting earlier in the season if they hope to recover from their current slide.
