In a strange twist of déjà vu, the Wisconsin men’s hockey team repeated the outcome of Friday night’s game on Saturday, tying the Northern Michigan Wildcats for the second straight night.
But the way the Badgers added a 3-3 draw to their record looked much different than their first game of the season, where they played a much more balanced game.
Down 3-0 after two lackluster periods, Wisconsin’s offense ignited in the middle of the third period for a flurry of three goals in 2:46.
“What was really important for us was the mindset we had as we sat there preparing for the third [period],” head coach Mike Eaves said of his team’s sudden spark. “And the mindset that we wanted to have was, you know, we’re down 3-0, and we need to focus on what we need to do. And that’s go out there and get the first goal, try to build momentum and get momentum on our side.”
The first goal, scored by sophomore winger Ryan Wagner, came after NMU’s Shane Sooth was whistled down for a hooking penalty. On the ensuing power play, sophomore center Cameron Hughes’ stuff attempt put the puck on Wagner’s stick, and he quickly capitalized as NMU goaltender Atte Tolvanen sprawled across the crease.
49 seconds later, junior forward Jedd Soleway put the Badgers within one with a wrister and forced NMU to take its timeout. 26 seconds after that, two Wildcats took penalties, giving the Badgers two full minutes of 5-on-3 time.
Near the end of the man advantage, Wisconsin set up a crisp tic-tac-toe play that gave freshman forward Luke Kunin his first goal as a Badger.
“It was really fun to see, this early in the season, how poised and confident and disciplined the power play was,” Eaves said. “We worked on it for two days, and they went out there and executed it very well.”
With the score knotted at 3-3, the Badgers and Wildcats played a back-and-forth overtime. Wisconsin nearly won when Wagner shot the puck high above Tolvanen’s shoulder, but it struck the post instead, leading to a review and a confirmed no-goal call.
Wisconsin and NMU traded shots in an inconsequential shootout. Hughes, Kunin, and sophomore center Adam Rockwood shot for the Badgers, but the only player to score was NMU’s Zach Diamantoni, who deked freshman goaltender Matt Jurusik for the goal.
In his first start for Wisconsin, Jurusik allowed two weak goals in the first period, one that whistled under his elbow and another that he missed off the far post, but seemed to gain confidence as the game went on. NMU’s third goal came midway through the second period when defenseman Jordan Klimek scored five-hole as Jurusik was screened.
“In the first period, he looked nervous; imagine that, a freshman being nervous in his first college game,” Eaves said. “He made good decisions with the puck, which is always a telltale sign of where a young goalie is at. I think he got better as the game went along, and I think it was great for his confidence to have the team in front of him come back and get a tie.”
The Badgers’ next home series is Halloween weekend against Arizona State. They’ll head to Boston next weekend to take on Boston College and Boston University.
