This past weekend was certainly an eventful one as Halloween took over Madison, and inside the Kohl Center, the Wisconsin men’s hockey team looked scary good against New Hampshire.
The Badgers outshot the Wildcats 95-35 in the series and in the process came away with their first sweep of the season, winning 6-1 Saturday and 4-1 Friday night.
With junior goaltender Scott Gudmandson in net Saturday, the Badgers controlled play early, but saw zeros on the board after the first period. That would all change in the second period as UW exploded for three goals in three minutes.
Sophomore forward Jordy Murray took over, scoring two of those three goals in the second frame, giving his team a lead they would not relinquish. UW head coach Mike Eaves was proud of his young forward’s effort.
“He is an instinctive hockey player. He has quickness, he has skills,” Eaves said. “For a little guy he is as tenacious as anybody.”
The goals UW tallied in the 6-1 win showcased this team’s offensive capabilities, but it was another strong showing by a cohesive penalty-killing unit that impressed the coaching staff.
“We played like a fist. We played as a unit out there, with the goaltender being a big part of that,” Eaves said of the penalty-killers that forced UNH to go 0-5 on the power play. “We played together as a good group.”
Gudmandson was happy with his play, but he was quick to praise the defenseman in front of him who made Saturday night an easy one for the junior goaltender.
“I thought I played pretty well tonight,” Gudmandson said. “The guys did a good job in front of me. They blocked a ton of shots which made it easy for me.”
Eaves has said from the start of the season that his team needs to find its identity and learn who they are, and while the season is still young, Eaves plans to take plenty away from a dominating weekend.
“We found some combinations of lines that we’re starting to become familiar with and we’re starting to see good things from that,” he said. “It continued to emphasize our combinations on defense and showed that both goaltenders are playing well.”
For Murray and his teammates, the sweep is something to celebrate, but they are well aware of the challenge that looms next weekend.
“We are happy with this weekend. We are going to enjoy tonight and have some fun with the boys, but we are going back to work on Monday and getting ready for the Gophers,” Murray said.
In Friday night’s game, the Badgers, playing in front of goaltender Bret Bennett, went on the offensive early but were unable to put the puck past UNH goalie Brian Foster. After dominating the first period of play, UW skated off the ice with the score still deadlocked at zero. Eaves had a message for his team when they entered the locker room.
“The thing that we talk about after the first period is when you are not rewarded with goals for your efforts — there is a phrase that we use — we needed to stay patiently persistent,” he said. “Don’t change your mindset and stay after it.”
The Badgers responded by registering two goals in the second period as freshman defenseman John Ramage and senior forward John Mitchell found the back of the net. Sophomore forward Derek Stepan was confident his team would find a way to get that all important first goal.
“After the locker room talk we settled down and knew that we just had to keep plugging away,” he said.
But when it seemed like UW was on the verge of taking over the game late in the second period, UNH struck back with a shorthanded goal on a breakaway opportunity. Once again, the Badgers remained focused and refused to let the momentum swing.
“That speaks to our team maturity when you hit a bump in the road — do you panic? Or do you stay on course?” Eaves said. “That was what the guys were saying, and it was nice to hear that from that the older guys, settling the whole bench down.
“We as coaches didn’t even have to say anything.”