After Friday night’s devastating loss to conference foe Colorado College, the Wisconsin men’s hockey team avoided being swept on opening week for the second consecutive season when senior forward Ben Street scored the trying goal late in Saturday’s 1-1 tie.

Street’s goal not only prevented a scoreless Wisconsin weekend, but also gave the senior winger his first taste of production in over a year.

“I was pretty due. It had been about a year. A little bit of relief, a little bit of excitement,” Street said of his goal, which was his first in over a year after he missed all of 2008-09 with an injury.

The 2008-09 season saw the Badgers fall victim to a difficult early schedule that included winless trips to Boston College, New Hampshire, Denver and North Dakota and one series with archrival Minnesota. Wisconsin, which returns seven seniors from last season, came out early on a mission to avoid a repeat of that disastrous start.

A pair of goals early, including one by senior center Blake Geoffrion just 4:32 into the first period, suggested Wisconsin was well on its way to repenting last season’s disappointing start.

However, Colorado College, which came to the Kohl Center unranked, proved similarly motivated as they used timely goals from seniors Matt Overman and Brian McMillin to tie the game in the second period. Colorado College junior Tyler Johnson buried the Badgers’ when his quick shot and spin move beat unsuspecting UW goalie Brett Bennett.

Bennett, who is deadlocked in a battle for playing time with fellow junior Scott Gudmandson, performed serviceably in his first start as a Badger. A Boston University transfer, Bennett watched from the bench on Saturday as Gudmandson turned in a strong performance in the 1-1 tie with 31 saves.

While neither goaltender did anything to make UW head coach Mike Eaves grant one firm hold of the starting position, each played well enough to give the Badgers a chance to win.

“There were a lot of questions coming into this weekend, starting with the young goaltenders, and I thought both young men stepped up and did their part.” Eaves said.

Goaltending is pivotal in the WCHA, where parity reigns like never before. Strong play in the nets is annually a theme on the league’s surprise teams, as witnessed last year when Minnesota-Duluth, seventh in the WCHA during the regular season, won three games in three nights to win the WCHA playoff championship.

Junior goalie Alex Stalock, who has since left Duluth for the NHL, allowed only one goal in those three Bulldog wins.

Blessed with a swift, punishing defensive corps and an experienced group of forwards with solid, if not spectacular offensive ceilings, Eaves knows it will be the goaltending that ultimately decides the outcome of the 2009-10 Badgers season.

That is if the Badgers can improve on this weekend’s relative offensive futility.

A 0-1-1 start against an unranked opponent is rarely cause for celebration, but UW lost two key players and, as Eaves acknowledged, the Badgers looked like a balanced team with the right elements to yet again be a serious threat in a competitive WCHA. With that said, Eaves also stressed the importance of finding good offensive consistency.

“We struggled offensively, last night and tonight, I thought we hit a lot of posts and didn’t get enough pucks at the net,” he said.

Geoffrion went down in the first period of Friday’s game with an upper body injury, and junior defenseman Brendan Smith, a power-play specialist who assisted Geoffrion’s goal, was benched for his undisciplined play during the Tigers’ two second period goals.

“We watched the game last night, and I think that Brendan really struggled,” Eaves said of Smith after Saturday’s game, in which Smith did not suit up.

With the injuries, and the rust of a season opener taking into consideration, Eaves admitted he was mildly content with the weekend’s results. A point in conference play was earned, and ultimately, Eaves was happy with what the weekend yielded.

“I guess when your expectations are to win, its still disappointing to only come away with one point,” Eaves said of the weekend. “On the other hand, I’m glad as heck we got that point. This weekend becomes a little bit of a starting point for us, we know where we stand.”