DETROIT—Wisconsin’s season ended Thursday night much the way it went all year: being outplayed and outscored. The Badgers (2-15-3 Big Ten, 4-26-5 overall) lost 5-1 to Michigan (13-8-0, 21-14-0) in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.
Michigan opened the scoring on a rebound goal by senior forward Zach Hyman 14 minutes into the first period. Freshman forward Dylan Larkin ripped a shot off the post and Hyman casually backhanded the puck in before UW senior goaltender Joel Rumpel knew where the puck was.
The pair of Wolverines lead the conference in points per game and have been the centerpiece of the team’s offense all season. That carried over to this game as well, with the duo combining for seven points.
“You try to limit what they can get done, but in the end they got some good stuff against us tonight,” said head coach Mike Eaves.
The Wolverines scored a pair of flukey goals in the second period that all but iced the game. Two minutes into the second period, Michigan senior defenseman Andrew Sinelli notched his first goal of the year with a shot that took a weird bounce and jumped over Rumpel’s shoulder. Only a few minutes later, Michigan’s freshman defenseman Cutler Martin took a shot that deflected off Hyman and right past Rumpel to the back of the net.
“You get a few like that, that you can’t see, and they hit a few skates and a few butts, it’s hard to get momentum, it’s hard to get into a rhythm,” Rumpel said. “I kept on trying to battle, but it was tough to find something when you’re getting bounces like that.”
Halfway through the third, multiple Badgers crashed the net, pounding at the puck, and sophomore forward Jedd Soleway chipped the puck in, and Wolverine junior goaltender Steve Racine kicked the puck out as it crossed the line. The refs took a longer look at it and called the goal good. The goal didn’t mean much in terms of the outcome, but it served as a slight morale booster in a rough game.
“It definitely got guys fired up … finally we got one home,” said senior forward Brad Navin. “Team morale was definitely up, we hadn’t scored a goal in a while, but in the end there our effort was there, but our execution was off target a little bit.
Michigan put the game firmly out of reach with a coast-to-coast goal by Larkin where he single handedly zig-zagged his way through the Wisconsin defense. Pouring salt in the wound, senior forward Justin Selman sank a shot in the back of the net with three minutes to go in the game.
The Badgers technically outshot the Wolverines, but in terms of quality shots, the Badgers were outmatched. The Wolverines consistently put pressure on UW, and while a few of their goals were unconventional, it wasn’t luck—it was a byproduct of the aggressive Michigan offense.
Wisconsin finished with just four wins, a disappointing result for a usually strong program. This year may not have ended the way the team had hoped, but the outgoing senior class won 67 games and two conference championships over their career, and they will be remembered more for their seasons of success than one season of disappointment.
