The University of Wisconsin men’s hockey team started off Saturday night by honoring the seniors and their parents on the ice before the game.

But in the end, they could thank a freshman for making sure their last regular season game at the Kohl Center was a successful one.

First-year forward Derek Stepan put Wisconsin up by a goal when he scored 9:30 into the second period. He tacked on another goal less than two minutes later to push the lead to two.

While two goals in less than two minutes is always an impressive feat, Stepan accomplished something only two other players in UW’s history have ever managed. Both of the goals he scored were shorthanded, and they both came on the same North Dakota power play.

“I would have to research the old files in the brain, but it is highly unusual,” UW head coach Mike Eaves said of Stepan’s shorthanded goals. “It was a turning point in the game for us. To get those two goals shorthanded was one of the moments that we would take a look at as a determining factor.”

Stepan lit the lamp for the first time after junior forward Andy Bohmbach created a turnover and carried the puck into the UND zone. Bohmbach dropped off the puck to Stepan in the right circle where he fired a wrist shot past Fighting Sioux goaltender Brad Eidsness.

“A lot of times a puck would bounce off someone’s skate and come find me, so tonight a lot of bounces were coming my way. It felt good finally to catch some,” Stepan said.

UW took a 3-1 lead after Bohmbach turned over UND for the second time, creating an odd-man rush that Stepan finished off with a rebound goal. The two shorthanded assists gave Bohmbach his 19th and 20th points of the season.

“Well, he took advantage of an offensive opportunity,” Eaves said of Bohmbach. “They seemed to have good chemistry. They have been doing a nice job together.”

While scoring two shorthanded goals in one game is a remarkable accomplishment, Stepan has impressed all year with his ability to adapt and learn from those around him. Second on the team in points with 30, Eaves compared Stepan to former Badger great Joe Pavelski. Considering Pavelski led Eaves’ national championship team in points that season, Stepan would appear to be in good company.

“One person that he reminds me of — and I don’t want to put additional pressure on him — but he thinks the game like Joe Pavelski,” Eaves said. “He reminds me of his ability to be perceptive on the ice, yet have the skill to do the things he wants. He is the type of young man you can tell him, ‘If you try this it might give you a better option,’ and the next shift he is out there doing it.”

With junior captain Blake Geoffrion out with an injury for the series, Stepan and Bohmbach found themselves together on the penalty kill for the first time together. Besides the two goals, the pair created numerous turnovers and North Dakota only managed four shots on net during three man-advantage opportunities in the second period.

“We were just pressuring pretty hard on our penalty kill,” Bohmbach said. “Whoever you play with on the penalty kill you just play hard, work as hard as you can and hopefully it goes your way and that is what it did tonight.”

For the game, the Badgers killed all five of UND’s power play opportunities including the five-minute major assessed to defenseman Brendan Smith just 2:15 into the first period, who also was tossed with a 10-minute game misconduct for checking from behind.

“That really set the tone for us,” Bohmbach said. “Especially losing [Smith], one of our top D and top point getters. Against North Dakota, they have a really good power play and killing that off just gave us some confidence at the beginning of the game that we are in it.”

“We got the goals but also we killed all five,” Eaves added. “We killed a lot of penalties one of them being a five-minute major … we shut it down and don’t give them any goals.”