Although they did not quite get off to the start they wanted Friday night, the Badger men's hockey team finished strong and skated away with a weekend sweep of the Mercyhurst Lakers.
Friday's contest was marred by penalties-30 in all-totaling 60 minutes worth of time in the sin bin.
Despite numerous power play opportunities and two five-on-three advantages, Wisconsin was unable to get on the board in the first period.
Mercyhurst, on the other hand, used two power play goals and led 2-0 at the end of the period.
\As a captain, I'm trying to make sure no one is panicking,"" junior forward Adam Burish said. ""The first thing I said was, 'Let's relax and get back to work here.'""
The Badgers battled back and Mercyhurst gave up three goals over the final 22 minutes, escaping with a 3-2 victory.
With less than two minutes to go in the second period, Badger rookie forward Matt Auffrey got his first goal as a Badger on a power play. Auffrey attempted to pass the puck through the crease to junior forward Tom Gilbert, but instead the puck found the stick of Mercyhurst forward Erik Johnson and slid into the net.
The Badgers tied the game up 6:39 into the third period with their second power play goal. Sophomore forward Ross Carlson found a wide-open Jake Dowell in front of the opposing net. The sophomore forward beat Laker goalie Andy Franck to tie the game at two goals apiece.
Mercyhurst battled on but gave up the game-winning goal when sophomore forward Robbie Earl scored his first goal of the season. The puck was loose in the crease and several Badgers hacked at the puck before Earl scored.
""If you're going to win championships, you have to scrap, you have to play desperate and you have to play smart,"" Wisconsin Head Coach Mike Eaves said.
The Badgers carried the momentum from the 3-2 Friday night win into Saturday night when they dominated in all aspects of the game, blowing out the Lakers 8-0.
Auffrey scored his second goal of the weekend, the eventual game-winner, midway through the first when he wrapped the puck around the net to beat sophomore goalie Mike Ella.
Both teams switched goalies after Friday night's game. UW sophomore Brian Elliott got his first career shutout Saturday, while Ella did not fare quite as well, allowing eight goals on 43 Badger shots.
Sophomore forwards Jake Dowell and Ross Carlson each scored in the second to give the Badgers a 3-0 lead heading into the final 20 minutes.
UW junior forward Ryan MacMurchy, who missed Friday night's game due to suspension, joined Dowell and Carlson with three points on the night. He assisted on each of the Badgers' first three goals.
""I was definitely trying to prove something. It was really tough sitting out and I just really wanted to play,"" MacMurchy said.
Dowell and Carlson would both score again early in the third period as the Badgers tacked on five goals in the final 20 minutes and the Lakers saw the game spiral out of control.
""I thought it quietly got away from us in a big way,"" Lakers Head Coach Rick Gotkin said. ""We could just never get anything going.""
""We know better where we're at. I still think we need to go to another level,"" Eaves said. ""The guys can walk away from this weekend with a growing confidence.""
Wisconsin will try to continue its success with a home series next weekend against Michigan Tech.
