After Saturday's 3-2 victory over the University of Minnesota-Duluth (5-4-0 Western Collegiate Hockey Association, 7-5-2 overall) gave Wisconsin (8-3-0, 11-4-0) the sweep and continued a six-game winning streak, Head Coach Mike Eaves was still feeling frustrated. Eaves admitted the team did not have a good week of practice, and it spilled over into the weekend series' play, where the Badgers never found any sort of rhythm.
Nonetheless, the sweep, coupled with Alaska-Anchorage's victory over the University of North Dakota, gave the Badgers the lead in the WCHA.
The Badgers' sweep and Colorado College's sweep of No. 1 Minnesota may give the Badgers a shot at the top spot this week.
That should make Eaves happy, right?
\Shucks,"" Eaves laughed when asked about the potential. ""Everybody that's been there, how long have they lasted?""
Still, gritty victories did please Eaves in one sense-the growth of the team.
""It was a test for us, in terms of our team maturity, to see how we handled a game in which things weren't coming easy for us,"" Eaves said on Friday. ""I thought the kids did a pretty good job of handling it.""
Friday's first period provided a preview of the weekend as both teams pounded the boards for any scoring chance possible. Wisconsin had six shots on goal, while the Bulldogs had eight. The Badgers struck first with sophomore forward Robbie Earl's goal over the glove of UMD sophomore goaltender Josh Johnson. When it seemed as though UW would head into the first break with a 1-0 lead, UMD took advantage of a late power play and shot the puck through Wisconsin senior goalie Bernd Br??ckler's legs as the buzzer sounded.
Just 16 seconds into the second period, Earl was called on a penalty, seemingly giving the Bulldogs the momentum heading into the power play. The Badgers staved off the UMD attack and shortly after the end of the Badgers killed off the penalty, sophomore forward Jake Dowell bounced the puck off a UMD defender and into the net, putting the Badgers up 2-1.
Both teams scored in the third period, but the 3-2 score left neither team happy, especially UMD, which felt like the team was a few bounces away from escaping a team funk that has them stuck in a disappointing season.
""I don't think they really did anything better than us,"" UMD Head Coach Scott Sandelin said. ""We had some chances and we couldn't score, and they capitalized on their opportunities. That's the name of the game sometimes.""
The reality of how close Friday's game was provided some momentum for both teams Saturday. The game had a better rhythm and it became clear early on the win would come down to the final period. Fortunately for the Badgers, the third period has historically been its strongest this season.
""In the second period we had to kill all those penalties, Bernd held us in there,"" Eaves said. ""The dialogue between the second and third was 'You know what guys? We're in a 2-2 game; they haven't seen our best hockey yet.'""
The teams headed into the final period of the series tied at two. All four goals Saturday were scored in the first period, with freshman forward Matt Ford tallying his first goal in just his second weekend series and junior forward Adam Burish returning Friday night's favor by tweaking the puck in as the first period came to a close.
Despite the tie-up, the Badgers felt good after holding off the Bulldogs during almost six consecutive minutes of Wisconsin penalties and the momentum seemed to be with the Badgers after Earl scored the game-winner, his second goal of the series, after the puck rebounded off freshman defender Kyle Klubertanz shot that hit a UMD defender.
The 3-2 victory moved the Badgers into first place in the WCHA, but the move is not something Eaves carries too much credence in heading into a series against Minnesota State that will close out the calendar year.
""What matters is the end of the year,"" he said.
