Badgers Tame Wildcats, 4-3
October 12, 2002 | Men's Hockey
Mike Eaves got his first win at Wisconsin this afternoon as the Badgers scored twice late in the game to defeat Northern Michigan 4-3 in the third place game of the IceBreaker Invitational at the Kohl Center.
Rene Bourque's wrist shot got past Northern Michigan goaltender Craig Kowalski for the game winning goal with 1:16 to go in the game. Defenseman Mark Jackson tied the game at 3-3 for the Badgers two minutes earlier when he got the rebound from a Bourque shot and fired it past Kowalski.
Northern Michigan opened up the scoring at 3:13 of the first period on a power-play goal from Bryce Cockburn. Wisconsin answered NMU's goal with a power-play goal from freshman Ryan MacMurchy. Alex Leavitt and Jackson assisted on MacMurchy's first career goal. Cockburn scored again for the Wildcats before the close of the first period to put them ahead 2-1.
Badger senior wing Brad Winchester opened scoring in the second stanza with a power-play goal. Winchester went top shelf on Kowalski on a rebound from Leavitt's shot to make it a 2-2 game.
The Wildcats took a 3-2 lead when defensman Juha Alen slipped one by UW goalie Scott Kabotoff with 12:35 to go in the game, but that was all the Badgers would allow.
Wisconsin's Scott Kabotoff made 20 saves in the win. Leavitt finished with a career-high three assists in the game.
Wisconsin will continue its homestand when it hosts Alabama-Huntsville next Friday and Saturday. Friday night's game is scheduled for 7:35 p.m. and on Saturday night, the puck will drop at 8:05 p.m.
