ST. PAUL, Minn. – Time expired. The bench cleared. And the Badgers tackled Joel Rumpel in a flurry of excitement. They had done it.
With a 3-2 win over Colorado College in the WCHA playoff title game, No. 14 Wisconsin claimed its first Broadmoor Trophy since 1998 and punched its ticket for a trip to the NCAA tournament.
The Badgers had crawled out of a 1-7-2 start to their season and achieved the near improbable.
“It’s been one of the most enjoyable (seasons),” head coach Mike Eaves said, “because of the challenges. … I think every season has a story and I believe that if you talk to every coach the story of their season has its up and downs. Ours, it’s been one of the most enjoyable because, I think, it was so tough.”
The year certainly isn’t over yet as UW earned an auto bid into the NCAA tournament, it has admittedly been working to save its season for months.
“It’s been busy, it’s been challenging, but I think it’s been a lot of fun,” senior forward Ryan Little said. “I think when you start winning, it’s contagious in the locker room and it’s a lot of fun to be around each other and at the rink. That’s kind of been the basis for us these past few weeks, just keep winning, keep going, keep rolling.”
Before it could hoist the Broadmoor Trophy, Wisconsin (22-12-7) still had a game to play.
In their third game in as many days, the Badgers netted the first goal once again as junior winger Tyler Barnes cleaned up a rebound off a Nic Kerdiles tip at the 19:42 mark of the first period. The goal marked Barnes’ third of the tournament and with an assist, Kerdiles extended his point streak to 11 games.
Kerdiles netted his own goal at the 16:15 mark of the second period on a rebound from a John Ramage shot to give the Badgers a 3-1 lead. With a goal and an assist on the night, the freshman phenom extended his multi-point streak to five games and also took home tournament MVP honors.
Kerdiles was quick to dispel any connection between himself and UW’s 21-5-5 record since his debut after the 1-7-2 start – noting, rather, it was just a matter of finding the right mix on the ice.
“We just couldn’t really get a rhythm I think because in practicing, lines were shifting all the time,” Kerdiles said. “We were just trying to figure things out. I take no credit for that, I think it was just all the things that happened was just a little bit of a cluster … we’re working hard right now so we’re going to keep going.”
Three and a half minutes after Kerdiles gave UW a two-goal cushion, Colorado College (18-19-5) drew within one after scoring its own final-minute goal in the second. Senior centerman Rylan Schwartz capitalized on a UW defensive mistake and chipped the puck up into the net at the 19:32 mark of the second, making it 3-2.
In the final frame, with its season on the line, Colorado College brought the pressure – but Wisconsin’s defense kept them at bay, blocking eight shots over the final 20 minutes and allowing only four shots on goal.
After taking an early lead, the Badgers never relinquished it, outshooting CC 33-22 and blocking a total of 17 shots. CC head coach Scott Owens praised UW for how well it played and noted its overwhelming sense of confidence.
“They’re just much tighter at [their system],” Owens said. “You can just see how confident they are. You can see it on the ice level. They’re a confident looking team and everybody’s in their role.”
As the Badgers hoisted their new hardware – and Kerdiles, Barnes, Ramage and Rumpel earned all-tournament honors – Eaves hung by the bench and let his squad revel in the moment.
“This is their moment,” Eaves said. “It’s on the ice. That’s where they played and that’s where they shed sweat, blood and tears all together. That’s their moment. Being able to be on the bench and watch them get all together is really fun.”
