From the outside looking in, the Wisconsin men’s hockey team appeared to be facing plenty of adversity stemming from youth and power play struggles, but the team clearly failed to take notice, sweeping No. 5 North Dakota for the first time since 2006 at the Kohl Center with a 5-4 win Saturday and a 5-3 win Friday.
Saturday’s game two featured nine goals, but goaltending was the real story and determining factor for the game’s outcome.
Wisconsin goalie Joel Rumpel gave up a misleading number of goals, facing intense pressure for the entire game. North Dakota outshot Wisconsin 42-15, giving Rumpel 38 saves compared to 10 by the Fighting Sioux’s Aaron Dell.
“He gets the game puck,” head coach Mike Eaves said. “Without his effort in the net we don’t have a chance. I thought that he competed really hard for loose pucks, he fought the puck. … It was a pretty complete game for a young freshman.”
North Dakota struck first with Taylor Dickin’s goal just before the midway point of the first period.
But the Badgers didn’t take long to respond. Less than three minutes later, freshman forward Joseph LaBate tied the game with a power play goal, and 55 seconds later Wisconsin took the lead on a goal from Ryan Little.
One of the biggest highlights of the night was a shorthanded goal by UW junior defenseman John Ramage 4:25 into the second period, giving the Badgers a 3-1 lead. However, the Fighting Sioux had a comeback in store for the Badgers.
UND Forward Danny Kristo scored two goals, one halfway through the second period and the other midway through the third to erase Wisconsin’s lead and tie the game, 3-3.
The Badger offense responded quickly, taking a 4-3 lead with a goal by Mark Zengerle just minutes later. And with under four minutes to go in the game, Joe Faust gave the Badgers another multi-goal lead.
The Wisconsin defense held strong until the closing minute when North Dakota’s Brock Nelson scored, aided by an extra attacker after the Fighting Sioux pulled Dell from the goal.
“We were like a big weeping willow tree being blown by a mighty wind. We didn’t break,” Eaves said.
Saturday’s win was preceded by a much-needed victory for the Badgers Friday after being swept on the road by Michigan Tech in the previous series. As with the losses, Eaves was taking a conservative approach in what the game one victory meant for the Badgers going forward.
“This early in the season, with this young of a team, I don’t think it’s a huge measuring stick,” Eaves said. “I think it’s a nice step, and there are a lot of good things I hope people are proud of, but to say it’s a measuring stick, we’re still too young of a team to say we measure up to that team and what they’ve done. I think it’s a nice step, and we’ll try to build off it.”
The Badgers got off to an uncommon start Friday. Zengerle scored the opening goal with 11:15 remaining in the first period, marking the first time this season that Wisconsin scored the first goal of the game. UND quickly recovered as forward Mark MacMillan scored less than a minute later, prompting a frantic and aggressive tone that was evident the entire series.
The score remained 1-1 until North Dakota dug themselves into a hole right before the end of the first period with three untimely penalties. Two Fighting Sioux penalties gave the Badgers a 5-on-3 advantage with just under two minutes to play, and Wisconsin cashed in with Justin Schultz’s first goal of the season to make the score 2-1.
The power play continued into the second period and again Wisconsin converted with a goal from sophomore Michael Mersch, extending the Badgers’ lead to 3-1. UW didn’t let up, increasing the lead to 4-1 with junior Derek Lee’s goal less than six minutes later.
North Dakota wasn’t deterred, though, scoring two goals in the middle of the second period to get back within one, 4-3.
Freshman Brendan Woods had an answer. Deking past a UND defender, Woods was able to get the puck past Dell, who had replaced the Fighting Sioux’s struggling starting goalie Brad Eidsness, for the game’s final goal.
There was debate after the game as to the greater play: Woods’ goal or a fantastic save by Wisconsin goalie Landon Peterson just minutes later. Peterson was all alone against North Dakota’s Corbin Knight and Danny Kristo, but the freshman goalie managed to kick the puck away to avoid a one-score game.
“I saw the puck hit on my left, and then I saw their guy go backdoor,” Peterson said. “I just anticipated the pass, just knowing he was probably going to pass because it was a bad angle, so I was expecting it. I had it covered, and it all came natural.”
