Wisconsin proved to be its own worst enemy Saturday night as they made several mistakes that resulted in a 3-1 Michigan State victory to complete the sweep.
“I don’t know if it stings any more, I mean they all sting, but I thought we had our chances especially with that 5-on-3 and then we gave up that last goal,” junior forward Grant Besse said. “So I don’t know if it stings any more than the others, but it’s not a good feeling right now.”
The Badgers (6-15-7 overall, 1-10-3-1 Big Ten) got off to a slow start in the first as the Spartans (9-20-3, 5-10-1) put up the first three shots on goal. The defense looked a tad lackluster, allowing several Michigan State players to skate in close to freshman goalie Matt Jurusik, forcing him to make several difficult saves. That being said, senior defenseman Kevin Schulze was all over the ice in the first, making several sharp passes to forwards.
Wisconsin shot itself in the foot yet again though, first when junior forward Jedd Soleway let his emotions get the best of him after a penalty had already been called on Michigan State. Soleway and a Spartan player exchanged pleasantries and it appeared Soleway dragged it on longer than it needed to, resulting in an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, thus negating the Badgers’ power play.
Then, at the end of the period, senior defenseman Eddie Wittchow committed interference and was sent to the sin bin. This enabled freshman defender Zach Osburn to fire a shot from the blue line that was deflected past Jurusik by senior forward Michael Ferrantino.
Nonetheless, the Badgers created several offensive opportunities in the first, the best coming from sophomore forward Adam Rockwood. He missed a point-blank backhand just high and then fired a breakaway attempt over the cage as well.
Wisconsin came out strong in the second half, but hurt itself again by committing two penalties. The Badgers’ best chance of the period came when they were shorthanded, as freshman forward Luke Kunin nearly snuck a shot through the legs of senior goalie Jake Hildebrand. Sophomore Cameron Hughes then had an open shot right in front of the crease, but was denied by Hildebrand.
After the quick start, the UW offense sputtered, mustering up just three shots on goal the rest of the period. They never came up with another good scoring chance, making the already difficult task of defeating the All-American Hildebrand even more challenging.
“Credit to the guys in front of him [Hildebrand]. I think their coach gave them a little talk because they didn’t allow us to do the things we did last night. We weren’t as free-flowing,” head coach Mike Eaves said.
Jurusik was Wisconsin’s lone bright spot in the second, standing tall amidst a flurry of Michigan State shots as the period came to a close. He made a sensational save with his blocker on a wide-open back-handed attempt by a Spartan player, deflecting the puck into the corner and preventing any second chances. This rebound control is something that has been stressed by Eaves and Wisconsin goalie coach Jeff Sanger and appears to be paying off.
“I think there was a stat that was something like 65% of the goals in the NHL were off rebounds, so that’s why we tell our guys that’s something they need to work on,” Eaves said. “I think high-level goaltenders are really focused on that and he [Jurusik] has been.”
However, Jurusik wasn’t quite as optimistic about his play.
“Me and Sangs [Coach Sanger] work on it almost everyday in practice. I’m glad I’m showing progression but I still have to get better,” Jurusik said.
In the third, the Badgers finally put a little pressure on Hildebrand, culminating in their lone goal. After rattling off several shots, the loose puck trickled out to freshman Seamus Malone, who sent the puck into a wide open net to tie the game.
Action went back and forth until the Badgers went on a power play that turned into a 5-on-3 when Michigan State was whistled for a second infraction. Wisconsin had a couple chances, the best coming on a deflection by Hughes, but failed to capitalize on this huge late-game opportunity.
“We had people in front, we were getting shots, I was hopeful we would get a goal. We were doing the right things,” Eaves said.
Then, with just under two minutes to go, freshman defensemen Patrick Sexton attempted to clear the puck but sent it right to the stick of a Spartan player. Thomas Ebbing then found a streaking Mackenzie MacEachern, who buried the point-blank chance past Jurusik.
MacEachern would later add an empty-net goal that sent the already disgruntled Badger faithful sprinting for the exits.
“We gotta keep moving ahead. They’re banged up they’re tired, they’re angry, they’re pissed off,” Eaves said. “But this is all part of the process. We’re not ready to harvest yet. We’ve got to keep forging ahead.”
Ultimately, Wisconsin’s own mistakes cost them this series and denied them the chance of climbing out of the Big Ten cellar. If they have any hope of salvaging some pride with a few wins in the final stretch of the season, they will have to cut down on these miscues.
The Badgers take on Ohio State in Columbus next weekend.
