The University of Wisconsin men’s ice hockey team’s run at the Frozen Four was cut just short Saturday night, as the Ice Badgers lost a heartbreaker in overtime 2-1 to the top-seeded Black Bears of Maine.

With not even 3:30 minutes elapsed in the extra period, Maine’s Mark Hamilton skated in at UW goaltender Bernd Brückler and sent a chip shot bouncing toward him. Brückler made a save, but Hamilton got his stick on an awkward rebound and snuck the puck in to make the Bears the first team to advance to the 2004 Frozen Four in Boston April 8-10.

“It was a broken play,” Hamilton said after the game. “I got it, drove to the net and chipped it over his shoulder. I have been trying to get it to the net more and got it there tonight.”

Maine jumped out of the gate on Wisconsin, gaining an early lead in the contest. Just over a minute and a half into play, Maine’s Colin Shields went one-on-one with freshman Wisconsin defenseman Matt Olinger. Shields backed Olinger into the zone and wristed the puck through his legs and over a blind-sided Brückler’s shoulder.

UW had its first chance to tie the game about 15 minutes into the first period. Freshman Jake Dowell took the puck into the zone and sent a backhand pass across the ice to Robbie Earl, who was waiting on goaltender Jim Howard’s glove side. Earl tried to hammer it in, but Howard made a solid save, keeping Maine in the lead.

Less than a minute into the second period of play UW sophomore Adam Burish again almost tied the game. Burish made a good read on the play and intercepted the puck at the blueline, quickly carrying it in on Howard. He tried to flip the puck over Howard, but couldn’t get it past the goaltender.

The Badgers finally put one by Howard with under five minutes to go in the second period. Freshman Andrew Joudrey won a faceoff in the Bears zone, sending the puck back to defenseman Tom Gilbert. Gilbert fired the puck toward the net, where Joudrey was setting a screen. The puck deflected off of Joudrey’s back; screened netminder Howard bobbled the shot and allowed the puck to bounce out. Senior Badger captain Rene Bourque pounced on the rebound, slid across the middle of the ice and shot it over Howard on his stick side, tying the game at one.

With both teams’ seasons on the line, play intensified as the second period came to a close and the third ticked away. Maine and Wisconsin both put up 12 shots in the final regulation period, but solid goaltending and defense kept the game tied.

Going into the overtime frame seemed like a lucky break for the Badgers, who were 5-0-8 in thirteen overtime contests over the 2003-04 season. Head coach Mike Eaves’ squad indeed appeared to be much stronger and more confident in the extra period. But when Hamilton beat freshman third team All-Big Ten UW defender Ryan Suter to the inside and sent his fateful shot at Brückler, the Badgers’ luck ran out. The play was reviewed by referees, but to no avail for UW.

“It was a great hockey game,” said Maine head coach Tim Whitehead. “I was really impressed with Wisconsin and their ability to play. It was a real challenge for us. It was a good overall team effort.”

On Friday night, the Badgers had more luck in OT against Ohio State. The Buckeyes and Badgers, common foes on the hardwood and the FieldTurf, had met only a handful of times on the ice before being matched up in the round of 16 in the tournament. Both brought solid defensive approaches to the game, though, and played with intensity indicative of an ancient feud.

The Badgers came out strong early in the game, barraging Buckeye goaltender with shots. A five-on-three advantage and a near-miss by Nick Licari were the best chances in the first period as UW outshot OSU 13 to six.

Wisconsin got two penalties during the early-going of the second period, allowing Ohio State to gain momentum. Brückler almost gave away a goal when he came out of net and misplayed a puck. But UW weathered the storm and played the second half of the period evenly with OSU.

Without a goal on the board, both teams hunkered down in the third period, desperate to avoid costly mistakes. With time nearly out OSU made one, leaving Dowell open in front of the net. Dowell got the puck and got a shot off. Caruso made a big save, gave up a rebound and then made another big save to send the game to overtime.

With 12:03 elapsed in overtime the Badgers finally broke through. Freshman Ross Carlson broke down the side of the ice and spotted Robbie Earl offset. He slid a hard pass through Buckeye defenders to Earl, who one-timed it toward the net. Caruso again came up big, but the rebound found its way out to a streaking Dan Boeser, who buried it to propel the Badgers into college hockey’s Elite Eight.

–Compiled from staff reports