UW takes Showdown title
December 28, 2008 | Men's Hockey
The Wisconsin men's hockey team (10-7-3, 7-5-2 WCHA) claimed the title of the 20th annual Badger Hockey Showdown for the first time in three years with a shootout win over Lake Superior State (5-8-7, 3-6-5 CCHA) after an official 1-1 tie on Sunday at the Kohl Center.
Although the action was intense throughout the entirety of the contest, the real action began in the last few minutes of the game. The first and second period passed without any scoring, as did most of the third, until the Lakers found the back of the net with 3:36 left in the period. The Badgers quickly rallied to even the score, earning the tie with less than two minutes remaining. The overtime period proved futile for both teams, so at the conclusion at the five minutes, the teams squared off in a three-man shootout. In the end, Wisconsin hailed as the victors with a 1-0 edge in the shootout for its 10th Showdown title.
The Lakers put the first mark on the board with 3:36 left on the clock. Zac MacVoy beat senior Shane Connelly (Cheltenham, Pa.) from just outside the edge of the crease after a scramble in front of the UW net. Tyson Hobbins and Fred Cassiani were credited with the LSSU assists.
Junior John Mitchell (Neenah, Wis.) scored Wisconsin's goal to tie the game with 1:42 remaining. Mitchell angled in a wrist shot from between the edges of the faceoff circle and the crease to even the score at 1-1. Freshman Jake Gardiner (Minnetonka, Minn.) and sophomore Sean Dolan (St. Louis) recorded the assists on the last-minute play.
After a scoreless overtime period, the teams faced off in a three-man shootout. Senior Tom Gorowsky (Lino Lakes, Minn.) shot first, scoring the sole shootout goal to win the tournament. Sophomore Brendan Smith (Mimico, Ontario) and junior Michael Davies (St. Louis) also shot for UW, though their shots were saved by LSSU goalkeeper Pat Inglis. Connelly, with help from two posts, saved all three Laker shots from Steven Kaunisto, Rick Schofield and Troy Schwab. Schwab's final shot nearly sent the teams into a sudden-death shootout, but Connelly lunged for the puck, laying out across the crease to save it with his glove near the post to clinch the tournament title.
UW outshot LSSU 34-26 throughout the four periods, and went 0-3 on the power play while the Lakers went 0-2.
Connelly tallied 25 saves, not including his three shootout saves, while Inglis made 33 saves.
The Badger Hockey Showdown All-Tournament Team consisted of three Wisconsin and three Lake Superior State players. Mitchell, MacVoy and Schwab were named as forwards, McBain and Simon Gysbers made up the defense, with Connelly named as the tournament goalkeeper. Connelly was also named the Most Outstanding Player in the Showdown.
In the earlier game, the University of Alabama-Huntsville claimed third place with a 4-1 victory over the Harvard Crimson. UAH scored its first goal in the second period, and followed with two more in the beginning of the third for a three-goal lead. Harvard responded with one goal in the third, but the Chargers topped off the scoring with a fourth goal on an empty net with less than one minute left in the game.
The Badgers return to the Kohl Center next weekend when they face Northern Michigan on Jan. 2 and 3.
