Badgers Sweep Huskies, Win 4-3
December 01, 2007 | Men's Hockey
Behind two goals from senior Josh Engel, the University of Wisconsin men's hockey team (7-6-1, 4-4-0 WCHA) came back to defeat St. Cloud State, 4-3, on Saturday night at the Kohl Center. The Badgers are now 10-0-3 in their last 13 games against the Huskies (7-5-2, 3-4-1 WCHA).
Wisconsin got off to a quick start, as Patrick Johnson (Madison, Wis) scored just one minute into the period. The freshman's third goal of the season was assisted by sophomores Jamie McBain (Faribault, Minn.) and Blake Geoffrion (Brentwood, Tenn.). The Badgers' first period goal was just their second in all WCHA games this season.
Still in the first, St. Cloud State tied the game at one on their first power-play of the night. Huskie forward Andreas Nodl scored at the 9:32 mark, finding the back of the net off a rebound that slipped away from UW goaltender Shane Connelly (Cheltenham, Pa.). Sophomore Ryan Lasch and freshman Garrett Roe were credited with the assists.
The second period began similar to the first, as the Badgers scored just one minute and 59 seconds in. Geoffrion fired a shot from behind the right circle, but the shot was blocked by the defense. Engel collected the puck in traffic, scoring his second goal of the season. Geoffrion and McBain both earned assists on the play, their second of the night.
Two additional second period goals by St. Cloud State gave the Huskies a 3-2 lead. Aaron Marvin and Lasch each scored for St. Cloud State, with assists from Brian Volpei and Matt Stephenson, and Tom Mosey and John Swanson, respectively.
With the score already 3-2, senior Kyle Klubtertanz (Sun Prarie, Wis.) saved the Badgers from a two-goal deficit, fishing the puck out of the crease after it slipped past Connelly.
The start of the third period reflected that of the first two, with the Badgers scoring just three minutes in. Freshman Kyle Turris (New Westminster, B.C.) took a slapshot on a two-on-one scoring his sixth goal of the season, snapping a nine-game goal-scoring drought. Sophomore Aaron Bendickson and senior captain Davis Drewiske were given the assists on the game-tying goal.
The game-winning goal for Wisconsin came from the stick of Engel, his second goal of the night. Geoffrion's shot missed the net, but Engel was there to get the score. Klubertanz was also given an assist on the game-winner.
Connelly made 27 stops for the Badgers tonight, while Wisconsin fired 41 shots at Weslosky. The UW went 1-for-2 on the power play and stopped the Huskies on two of their four power plays.
The Badgers will travel to Mankato, Minn. next weekend for a series against Minnesota State. Friday night's game will face off at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday's game will begin at 7 p.m. Fans can follow a live gameday blog at UWBADGERS.COM.
