The first three minutes of senior goaltender Scott Gudmandson's weekend did not go so well. The Sherwood Park, Alberta, native fared much better over the ensuing 117, however, helping ensure a 3-2 victory over Bemidji State (4-9-1 WCHA, 5-10-1 overall) Friday and posting his third shutout of the season Saturday in a 2-0 win.
The sweep and four league points come at a perfect time for No. 16Wisconsin (6-6-2, 10-7-3), which will not see another WCHA opponent until visiting Minnesota-Duluth in the middle of January.
Gudmandson looked sharp from the start Saturday, as the Badgers turned in a much better first-period performance.
""What I like about [Gudmandson]'s game is his command in the crease, his rebound control, his decisions with the puck,"" Wisconsin head coach Mike Eaves said.
After spending much of last season and the early part of this season rotating starts with fellow senior Brett Bennett, Gudmandson has started five straight games for Eaves, and he looks to be settling into the role of an every-night starter.
""I've felt pretty good the last five games,"" Gudmandson said. ""I've got to give a lot of credit to the guys around me. The D is making it a lot easier for me.""
Wisconsin and Bemidji spent most of the first period—and most of the game—locked in a grinding and ugly game, much like Friday's contest. Freshman forward Michael Mersch put the Badgers on the scoreboard in beautiful fashion in the final minute of the first period, however, when he finished off a perfect give-and-go sequence with sophomore defenseman Justin Schultz.
""When you give Justin the puck, good things happen,"" Mersch said. ""I saw him out of the corner of my eye and he gave it back to me. It was a great play.""
The Badgers and Beavers skated scoreless well into the third period until senior forward Podge Turnbull, who centered the second line Saturday in place of sophomore Derek Lee (a healthy scratch), re-directed a shot from freshman defenseman Frankie Simonelli. The puck took a strange hop and got past junior Bemidji goaltender Dan Bakala. Neither of Turnbull's goals on the weekend were pretty, but he said that characterized the effort of his line Saturday night.
""We're just doing little things,"" Turnbull said. ""That's our focus is getting pucks in, pucks out, get pucks at the net.""
Both of Wisconsin's goals Saturday came during even-strength play, a welcome sign for a unit that has relied heavily on the power play to generate offensive opportunities. The Badgers also stayed out of the penalty box, and did not commit an infraction in the last two periods of the game.
Overall, the tone from Eaves and his players sounded much more positive than the frustration—even in victory—expressed Friday night.
""We did the things we needed,"" Eaves said. ""We outshot them, had good body position and did a lot of the little things that allowed us to just kind of build. It was a most satisfying win for the boys.""
