OMAHA, Neb. – Three unanswered goals – including the overtime game-winner from Quinn Finley – helped the No. 10 Wisconsin men's hockey team win an exhibition game, 3-2, at No. 15 Omaha on Saturday night at Baxter Arena.
Before the game, Omaha officially named the Baxter Arena Ice after its first head coach Mike Kemp, who was a longtime assistant coach for the Badgers in the 1980s and 1990s, until he took over the Mavericks for the 1996-97 season. Kemp became an administrator at Omaha after his 12-year head coaching tenure ended in 2009 and retired this past May.
Down 2-0 heading into the third period, junior forward Tyson Dyck and senior defenseman Daniel Laatsch each scored a goal in the final 20 minutes of regulation to force overtime. Sophomore forward Quinn Finley scored the game-winning goal almost four minutes into the extra time to send the Badgers into the regular season with a win.
The first period was quiet, with neither team finding the back of the net. Wisconsin had a five-on-three power play chance but was unable to convert on any scoring opportunities.
The Mavericks got on the board first 5:35 into the second period on a shot from Tyler Rollwagen on a two-on-one.
Tyler Rollwagen's second goal of the night extended Omaha's lead to two after he capitalized on a five-on-three power play opportunity with less than one second remaining in the second period.
Wisconsin came into the third period hungry, with Tyson Dyck cutting the Maverick's lead in half 2:39 into the frame. In the Maverick's zone, graduate student forward Ryland Mosley passed behind him to Dyck, who took a shot that rebounded off the goaltender's pads. Junior forward Kyle Kukkonen picked up the puck and took a shot of his own which again rebounded off the netminder. Dyck then re-gained possession and shot the puck in from the left side of the goal to put the Badgers on the board.
With 12:40 remaining in regulation,
Daniel Laatsch tied the game up at two. Junior forward
Christian Fitzgerald won a faceoff at the left dot and
Ryland Mosley stepped in to send the puck back to Laatsch at the blue line. Laatsch let a long wrist shot fly past Omaha goaltender Kevin Reidler and into the net to send the game to overtime.
Quinn Finley put home the game-winner on a breakaway chance with 3:41 remaining in overtime. All alone, Finley gained possession of the puck at center ice before skating to the front of the net and sliding the puck in through the goaltender's five-hole to win it for UW.
Wisconsin went 0-for-4 on the power play and 3-for-4 on the penalty kill. UW finished the contest with a 38-37 advantage in shots on goal.
Each of UW's three goaltenders got the chance to play a period in net, with senior
Tommy Scarfone making seven saves in the first period, sophomore
William Gramme making 15 saves in the second period and freshman
Anton Castro making 13 saves in the third and overtime periods.
Up Next: The Badgers officially open their 2024-25 season with a series against Lindenwood at the Kohl Center on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 11-12
(Buy tickets). Audio play-by-play airs on 1310 WIBA and on the Badgers app and the Varsity Network app. Follow along on X/Twitter and Instagram @BadgerMHockey.
