Despite outshooting No. 22 Penn State 37-29, Wisconsin fell in the opening game of the Big Ten Tournament 5-2, bringing its season to a close Thursday in St. Paul, Minn.
“We hung around; just didn't sink,” head coach Mike Eaves told UWBadgers.com. “Once again, we were close like all year, but just didn't get to come with it.
Wisconsin’s top line again showed its offensive prowess, but received no help from the rest of the Badgers (3-13-4-2 Big Ten, 8-19-8 overall) in the scoring department.
Freshman forward Luke Kunin scored his ninth goal in his last 10 games off an assist from sophomore forward Cameron Hughes. Hughes sent a bouncing pass from the left wing to Kunin, who managed to put his stick on the puck and punch it past Nittany Lion goalie Eamon McAdam.
Kunin, a projected first-rounder in this year’s NHL draft, finished the season with 19 goals, good enough to lead the Badgers.
His goal appeared to give Wisconsin life, cutting the Penn State lead to just one goal four minutes into the second.
But the Nittany Lions (10-9-1, 21-12-4) responded with two goals of their own later in the frame. Ten minutes after Kunin’s goal, Ricky DeRosa fired a slap shot that deflected off redshirt sophomore defenseman Tim Davison’s leg, leaving freshman goalie Matt Jurusik with no chance to stop the puck.
Just over a minute later, Tommy Olczyk beat Jurusik on a breakaway, extending the Nittany Lion lead to 4-1 and crushing any momentum the Badgers had built.
Junior forward Grant Besse opened the third period with a goal to bring the Badgers back within two. But that was as close as they would get and Penn State added an empty-net goal with 43 seconds left to put the finishing touches on the victory.
Wisconsin outshot the Nittany Lions in each period, but as has been the case all year long, they failed to put the puck in the back of the net.
“We were getting chances. Obviously, we scored, pretty early in the third period,” Besse told UWBadgers.com. “I think [that] was a good sign. And then, we were persistent but we weren't rewarded with that next goal.”
Besse, who struggled to score all year long, still managed to lead the team in points with 33. He only scored 11 goals, but compiled 22 assists. His line with Kunin and Hughes proved to electric all year long, but the Badgers simply did not have enough support. The lack of a scoring threat outside of that top line was detrimental to their offense.
Overall, this final game personified the Badgers’ entire season. They went down early, as Penn State notched two goals in the first period. They had plenty of chances to score, but could not light the lamp. They allowed far too many easy chances for Penn State, leaving Jurusik with either no chance, or forcing him to make an unbelievable save.
In other words, Wisconsin’s season can be summed up by the phrase, “almost only counts in horseshoes and hand-grenades.”
This game marks the end of the road for senior defensemen Kevin Schulze and Eddie Wittchow, and goalie Adam Miller.
Schulze and Wittchow, both captains on the team, could be looking at futures in the NHL. Wittchow stands at 6-feet-4-inches and teams will be attracted to his size and ability to play a physical game. Schulze is the antithesis of Wittchow, standing at just 5-feet-10-inches. While he may be a bit undersized for an NHL defensemen, he is a superb skater with above-average passing skills that should attract some looks from pro scouts.
“You talk to those guys, and the message to their teammates is, ‘man, it goes fast.’ And that's what they should take when they listen to those young men, it goes quickly and enjoy every year, every moment, every weekend because it's gone in a heartbeat,” Eaves said.
The end of the season may mark the end of Eaves’ career behind the bench as well. Despite winning the national title in 2006, Eaves clubs have been disastrous over the last two seasons, compiling a record of 12-46-13.
Athletic Director Barry Alvarez will certainly be taking a hard look at the current state of a hockey program that was once considered a perennial powerhouse.
The Badgers showed signs of promise this year and even had flashes of brilliance. But ultimately, they never quite got over that hump that they talked about all season long.
UWBadgers.com contributed to this report.
