Trying to rebound off of a tough 4-0 loss to No. 3 Minnesota (24-3-1-0 WCHA, 29-1-1 overall) Friday evening, No. 2 Wisconsin (24-3-1-1 WCHA, 30-3-1 overall) managed to bounce back from two goals down, but ultimately fell to the Gophers in overtime by a score of 4-3. The Badgers managed 34 shots on goal to Minnesota’s 27, winning the advantage for the second straight night, but falling short in each night’s box score.
"We had a couple moments in the game that we faced adversity," UW head coach Mark Johnson told UWBadgers.com. "But we took the challenge and the end result is that we gave ourselves a chance to win at the end and we came up a little bit short. But it was a great effort and we showed a lot of heart today."
The game started eerily similar to the first of the two-game series, with Minnesota jumping out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first frame. Within the first 5 minutes of the contest Minnesota’s Kate Schipper and Sarah Potomak each lit the lamp for the Gophers, making it seem as though everyone in attendance was in for another one-sided affair.
However, Wisconsin finally lit up the scoreboard when senior Erika Sowchuk found the net with 7 minutes remaining in the first period. Minnesota’s Cara Piazza responded late in the second, giving the Gophers a 3-1 lead. But that lead wouldn’t last long, as junior Sarah Nurse lit the lamp for Wisconsin a few short minutes later, putting the score at 3-2 and moving the Badgers within a single score.
The tension would only increase as the Badgers were awarded a penalty shot in the third period after a Minnesota defender interfered with a puck inside of their crease. Sophomore Annie Pankowski took the shot for Wisconsin and made it count, tying the score at 3-3 and giving the Cardinal and White legitimate hope at getting out of Minneapolis with a split series. It was the first successful penalty shot for UW since Nov. 16, 2012, when the Badgers played Ohio State.
The Badgers outshot the Gophers 13-4 in the third period but were unable to close it out in regulation. Wisconsin continued that domination through the overtime period, outplaying Minnesota for the majority of the extra time. However, they were defeated when Minnesota’s Kelly Pannek turned out the light with 54 seconds remaining on a final opportunity, giving Minnesota the win 4-3 over Wisconsin.
"I think after our regular season we have an idea of what it's going to take to play for the next couple of weeks here," Johnson said. "It was good and we'll take a lot of lessons. It's heartbreaking to lose the way we ended up losing because we started to push and played really well in the third period and the early part of the overtime. The puck bounced the wrong way today and they capitalized on it."
The Badgers tied a WCHA record with 24 wins in a single season.
Wisconsin hosts Minnesota State at LaBahn Arena to begin playoff action Friday at 7 p.m. with the second game being played Saturday at 4 p.m. In the event of a split of the first two contests, a third will be played Sunday at 2 p.m.
UWBadgers.com contributed to this report.
