Wisconsin Men's Hockey Falls to MSU, 3-1
December 07, 2007 | Men's Hockey
The University of Wisconsin men's hockey team (7-7-1, 4-5-0 WCHA) fell, 3-1, to Minnesota State (5-6-2, 3-6-2 WCHA) on Friday night at the Alltel Center in Mankato, Minn. The Badgers' lone goal came from freshman Kyle Turris (New Westminster, B.C.) in the first period.
The UW came out strong, scoring just one minute and seven seconds into the game. The Badgers forced a turnover from Minnesota State, allowing Turris to score against MSU goaltender Mike Zacharias. Turris' seventh goal of the season, his second in consecutive games, was assisted by junior Ben Street (Coquitlam, B.C.).
Just over 10 seconds later, the Mavericks responded with a goal from Mick Berge to tie the game at one. Geoff Irwin and R.J. Linder were credited with the assists on Berge 's eighth goal of the season.
The second period was a frustrating one for the Badgers, as Wisconsin essentially gave up two power-play goals and was unable to convert on a long five-on-three advantage. MSU took the lead at 5:58 as a Wisconsin penalty kill was expiring. Irwin earned the score, with Rylan Galiardi and Nick Canzanello tallying assists. The Mavericks' second goal of the period came just three minutes later during a man-advantage. This time it was Galiardi for MSU, with assists from Linder and Zach Harrison.
Special teams were a large factor in Friday's game, helping MSU get ahead while holding the Badgers to just one score. Wisconsin had two five-on-three advantages, but were unable to convert on either attempt. The Badgers went 0-for-5 on power plays and allowed the Mavericks to score on one of their six attempts, netting a second goal as a power play expired.
In the net for the Badgers, Shane Connelly (Cheltenham, Pa.) stopped 27 shots in the loss, falling to 6-7-0 on the season. Wisconsin fired 30 shots at Zacharias, who is 4-3-2 on the season.
Wisconsin will look for a series split tomorrow, as the Badgers are set to face the Mavericks at 7 p.m. on Saturday. Fans can listen to the game live on 1310 WIBA in Madison and on other affiliates throughout Wisconsin. A live gameday blog and pay audio can both be accessed on UWBADERS.COM.
