Behind a balanced scoring attack and strong penalty kill, the Wisconsin men's hockey team swept a weekend series with Michigan Tech, overcoming early deficits in each game.
After managing just one point in their opening weekend of WCHA play, Wisconsin (2-1-1 WCHA, 5-2-1 overall) found themselves trailing Michigan Tech 2-0 Friday night and in desperate need of an offensive jumpstart.
Freshman forward Michael Mersch provided that boost for the Badgers' offense 9:53 into Friday's second period by deflecting a slap shot from junior defenseman Jake Gardiner past sophomore goaltender Kevin Genoe and cutting the Huskies' lead to one. The goal was Mersch's second of the season and began the comeback which resulted in a 5-2 Wisconsin victory.
""Ever since [Mersch] has been here, the way he's been at practice and the way he's been in games …the coaches have said ‘We've got to keep him in the lineup,'"" head coach Mike Eaves said. ""We've seen glimpses from him and tonight we saw a bigger glimpse of maybe what he can provide for us.""
Leading 3-2 midway through the third period, Mersch tipped in yet another Jake Gardiner slap shot past Genoe, who entered the weekend with the third best save percentage in the nation.
Gardiner and sophomore defenseman John Ramage combined to assist on four of the five Wisconsin goals. The veteran duo received recognition from Eaves following the game for their cohesiveness on the ice and ability to generate offense from the blue line.
""They complement each other,"" Eaves said. ""Jake is a very gifted skater and puck handler, and [Ramage] is a little bit more of a stay-at-home …physical defenseman.""
Senior goaltender Scott Gudmandson started for the Badgers Friday night and appeared to settle in following the first period. Gudmandson held the Huskies, who entered the night fourth in the nation with 4.80 goals per game, to just two goals.
Sophomore forward Craig Smith added an empty net goal with five seconds remaining to extend the lead to three.
The Badgers once again found themselves trailing Michigan Tech (1-2-1 WCHA, 3-2-2 overall) on Saturday night, thanks to junior forward Alex MacLeod's power-play goal 10 minutes into the second period.
Sophomore defenseman Justin Schultz would even the score just four minutes later by sliding a wrist shot under Genoe's right pad. The Badgers would go on to score three more unanswered goals en route to a 4-1 victory.
Smith and sophomore forward Ryan Little each added goals with under two minutes remaining in the second period to extend Wisconsin's lead to two going into the third period.
A two goal lead was more than enough for senior goaltender Brett Bennett, who improved his record between the pipes to 3-0, turning away 28 of Michigan Tech's 29 shots.
Bennett led the way in holding Michigan Tech to just one power-play goal in six attempts, including a five-on-three opportunity at the start of the third period.
""[Bennett's] play tonight allowed us to cover up some of our mistakes,"" Eaves said. ""He played very confidently; he moved the puck well and was big in the net. His effort tonight was excellent.""
Just seconds after exiting the penalty box, senior forward Sean Dolan placed an exclamation point on the weekend with a short-handed goal 1:37 into the third period. Dolan weaved through two Husky defensemen and lifted the puck over Genoe's glove to extend the Badger lead to three and suffocate any chance of a Michigan Tech comeback.
""Probably number one,"" said Dolan of where his goal ranks on his career highlight reel. ""It was pretty neat. It was something I've watched [former Wisconsin forward] Derek Stepan do for two years now.""
Seven different Badgers scored on the weekend to help Wisconsin improve its all time record against Michigan Tech to 96-44-8. Next weekend, the Badgers will travel to Minneapolis for a weekend series with Minnesota.
