BADGERS CLAIM SIXTH NATIONAL TITLE!
April 08, 2006 | Men's Hockey
Senior Tom Gilbert's goal 9:32 into the third period proved to be the winner as the Wisconsin men's hockey team defeated Boston College 2-1 Saturday night in the NCAA Championship Game at the Bradley Center.
Junior Robbie Earl (Los Angeles) added UW's other goal as the Badgers (30-10-3) won their sixth national championship and first since 1990. Earl earned the Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player Award with three goals and one assist in Milwaukee.
Fellow junior Brian Elliott (Newmarket, Ontario) made 22 saves and was named to the All-Frozen Four Team. He was joined on the all-tournament team by Earl, Adam Burish (Madison, Wis.) and Gilbert (Bloomington, Minn.).
Boston College's Cory Schneider stopped 37 shots on the other end. BC finished the season with a record of 26-13-3.
The Eagles placed two representatives on the All-Frozen Four team in forward Chris Collins and defenseman Brett Motherwell.
Pat Gannon gave the Eagles a 1-0 lead 9:01 into the opening period when he lifted a back-hand over Elliott's glove. Dan Bertram notched the only assist on Gannon's fifth goal of the season.
Earl tied the game at the 1:17 mark of the second. Joe Pavelski (Plover, Wis.) sent a pass across the slot from the right corner which Earl redirected into the open net for his 24th goal of the season. Senior Adam Burish (Madison, Wis.) and Pavelski earned assists on the play.
With the assist, Pavelski became just the ninth Badger to reach 100 points in his first two years at UW and the first since Dany Heatley.
Gilbert gave the Badgers their first lead of the game 9:32 into the third period. The senior assistant captain took a pass from Pavelski and fired a wrist shot past Schneider. Burish also added an assist as Gilbert moved into a tie for the national goal-scoring lead among defensemen with 12 goals.
From there, Wisconsin withstood a barrage of BC shots, including a shot off the pipe in the final seconds of the contest, to become the first school in NCAA history to win both the men's and women's ice hockey championships.
Wisconsin finished the game 1-for-8 on the power play while Boston College was 0-for-4. The Badgers did not allow a single power-play goal in the NCAA tournament, holding opponents scoreless on 16 power plays.
The Badgers finished the season with 30 wins for the seventh time in program history and the first time in the Mike Eaves era.
Fans can welcome home the national champion Badgers on Sunday at the Kohl Center. Gates will open at 6 p.m. and fans should enter through Gate A or Gate B of the Kohl Center. The program will take place inside the arena. Free parking is available in UW Lot 91 and UW Lot 88. Admission is free. A celebration beginning at 7 p.m. will feature Athletic Director Barry Alvarez, Head Coach Mike Eaves, and men's hockey student-athletes.
