Feb. 13, 2010

Box Score | Box Score | Post-Game News Conference | Quotes | Game Highlights

MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin men’s hockey team (18-7-4, 13-6-3 WCHA) completed its sweep of the Minnesota State Mavericks (12-16-2, 6-15-1 WCHA) Saturday night. After falling behind by a goal less than a minute into the game, the Badgers rallied to take the game, 8-4. Senior Andy Bohmbach (Hudson, Wis.) scored the Badgers’ first goal and tallied two assists in the victory.

Just like last night’s game, Minnesota State struck first. This time, it was only 53 seconds into the game. MSU’s Eli Zuck batted the puck out of the air and past Badger goaltender Brett Bennett (Williamsville, N.Y.), who was returning to his crease after playing the puck behind the UW goal. The goal was Zuck’s first collegiate point. Zach Harrison earned the lone assist.

However, at the 1:38 mark, Bohmbach evened things back up. On a two-on-one rush, Bohmbach controlled the puck with junior defenseman Brendan Smith on the other side of the Maverick defender. Bohmbach faked the pass and flicked in a backhand, top-shelf, to tie the game back up. Smith and freshman defenseman John Ramage (St. Louis) contributed the goal’s two assists.

One second before the halfway point of the first period, senior forward Blake Geoffrion (Brentwood, Tenn.) gave UW its first lead of the game. On the Wisconsin power play, fellow-senior Michael Davies (St. Louis) brought the puck behind the net and found a cutting Geoffrion. Davies slid the puck to a falling Geoffrion, who managed to glide the puck past MSU goaltender Phil Cook for his 20th goal of the season. Freshman defenseman Justin Schultz (West Kelowna, British Columbia) tallied the goal’s secondary assist. With 9:59 gone in the period, UW was up, 2-1.

On his 23rd birthday, senior tri-captain Ben Street (Coquitlam, British Columbia) added another goal with one minute remaining in the first. Just after a power play ended, senior forward John Mitchell (Neenah, Wis.) passed the puck across the net to a swinging Street. From there, Street shoved in his 11th goal of the season. Freshman forward Craig Smith (Madison, Wis.) tallied the goal’s secondary assist.

In a period that saw nine total penalties, UW was 1-for-4 on the power play and 2-for-2 on its power-play kill. Wisconsin also outshot Minnesota State, 13-9, in the opening 20 minutes.

At the 6:49 mark of the second, senior forward Ben Grotting (Birmingham, Ala.) gave the Badgers a three-goal lead. Bohmbach started the score by advancing the puck from the right faceoff circle to the center line to Grotting. From there, Grotting found himself on a breakaway. Charging the goaltender, he slid the puck under Cook’s legs and put Wisconsin up, 4-1.

The Mavericks got back to within two at the 10:52 mark of the second. Senior forward Jerad Stewart scored through a screen from the point after getting a puck from teammate Kael Mouillierat along the side boards. The score now read 4-2 in Wisconsin’s favor.

Down a man, Wisconsin regained its three-goal lead at the 14:43 mark of the second. Geoffrion and sophomore defenseman Jake Gardiner (Minnetonka, Minn.) found themselves on a 2-on-1 rush during a delayed penalty call on the Mavericks. Geoffrion found Gardiner slightly trailing the play, who the slapped the puck to the back of the net for the Badgers for his third goal of the season. UW now led the game, 5-2. Bohmbach started the score by contributing the secondary assist.

With just under two minutes to go in the period, Wisconsin kept the scoring surge going. On a power play, junior defenseman Brendan Smith (Mimico, Ontario) notched the Badgers’ sixth goal of the game. After sophomore forward Derek Stepan (Hastings, Minn.) dished the puck to Davies, he slid the puck across the net to a cutting Smith. After a shot fake, Smith rifled in the goal for the Badgers and chased MSU goaltender Phil Cook from the game. This is all the scoring the period saw. Heading into the final period, UW led, 6-2.

At this point, MSU was outshooting UW, 24-18. The Badgers only had five shots-on-goal in the segment, but they scored on three of them.

In the third, the Mavericks scored their third goal of the game at the 16:27 mark, inching to within three. On the power play, freshman forward Tyler Pitlick rattled a shot to the back of the net from Kurt Davis and Rylan Galiardi.

Junior tri-captain Ryan McDonagh (Arden Hills, Minn.) gave Wisconsin back its four-goal lead when he scored at the 8:44 mark of the final period with Wisconsin’s third power-play tally of the contest. Mitchell and Street set up the play.

With just under six minutes to go, Geoffrion finished off a seven-point weekend with his second goal of the game. Geoffrion melted the net on a slap shot just outside the left faceoff circle. Ramage and Smith earned the assists.

With 2:40 left, Maverick defenseman Kurt Davis closed out the scoring with his fourth of the season, from Mouillierat.

Wisconsin ended 3-for-8 on the power play and 7-for-8 on its penalty kill. Though the Badgers were outshot, 35-31, they managed the 8-4 victory.

Badger goaltender Brett Bennett turned away 31 Maverick attempts, as his record rose to 8-5-0 on the season. Maverick goalie Phil Cook took in the loss by stopping 12 Badger shots, and saw his record fall to 4-3-1 on the year.

The No. 3 Badgers will play host to the No. 4 St. Cloud State Huskies next weekend at the Kohl Center. The weekend marks Wisconsin’s final regular-season home series and also its annual weekend to recognize its senior class. Both games are slated to begin at 7 p.m.

-------------------------------

Brady Hartung, UW Athletic Communications