The Badgers (2-12-4-2 Big Ten, 7-17-8 overall) did their best to give away another potential victory, but hung on to defeat the Nittany Lions (10-7-1, 20-10-4) on Senior Night by a score of 4-3.
“It’s the first time I think we’ve had a lead and held it and won a game,” UW head coach Mike Eaves said. “We found a way to hang in there with Matty [Jurusik] playing very well and got a way to get a win.”
Wisconsin took a 4-1 lead into the final period, but allowed No. 14 Penn State to dominate the third, forcing freshman goalie Jurusik to stand on his head to preserve the victory.
The Badgers toned down their offensive attack and played a more conservative game in the final frame in an attempt to hold on to the lead, but instead let the Nittany Lions back into the game. Penn State outshot Wisconsin by a whopping margin of 21-2 in the third period.
Jurusik, who made 46 total saves, withstood a barrage of Penn State shots to help avoid yet another late-game collapse. He made 19 stops in the third period alone.
The Nittany Lions started their comeback attempt when David Goodwin lit the lamp on the power play after a few impressive passes gave him a wide open net. The Badgers held strong for the next eight minutes, staving off a ferocious Penn State offensive attack.
Then, with 2:40 to play, Wisconsin went on a power play and the game appeared to be all but over as the Badgers still led by two. But after a turnover, forward Andrew Sturtz beat Jurusik on a breakaway to cut the deficit to just one.
Shortly after, the Badgers made another turnover in their own zone, giving the Nittany Lions another breakaway. Senior defensemen Kevin Schulze did the hockey equivalent of fouling a player on an open shot at the rim and was sent to the box for hooking.
With just over a minute to go, Penn State pulled freshman goalie Chris Funkey to give them a 5-on-4 advantage, which turned into a 6-on-4 when the original Nittany Lion penalty ended.
This led to a tense 40 seconds in the Kohl Center, as Wisconsin’s penalty kill unit had to come up huge to save the game. After a few chances, the Badgers were able to clear the puck with nine seconds to play, allowing the almost 10,000 fans in attendance to finally exhale a deep breath.
“We’ve been in a lot of games and we always talk about getting over the hump and tonight was the first step in that,” sophomore forward Jason Ford said. “It’s good timing for us as Big Ten playoffs start coming up here.”
Penn State opened the scoring after a lackluster Wisconsin power play, as senior Kenny Brooks tallied a goal off a rebound.
This goal appeared to wake the Badgers up after their slow start, as they spent more time in their offensive zone after the goal.
Shortly after freshman forward Luke Kunin rang a wrist shot off the crossbar, he sent a cross-ice pass to junior forward Grant Besse on the right wing. Besse fired a shot that bounced off Penn State goalie Eamon McAdam and found the stick of junior forward Jedd Soleway, who put the puck in the back of the net.
Under five minutes later, sophomore forward Adam Rockwood received the puck on the right wing and dished it to freshman forward Seamus Malone, who sent a blast at the net. McAdam stopped Malone’s drive, but Ford secured the loose puck and slid it between McAdam’s legs to give the Badgers the 2-1 lead.
Freshman goalie Matt Jurusik made several difficult saves, turning away a couple breakaway opportunities by the Nittany Lions. Kunin put together an impressive period as well, showing his offensive prowess with his assist, as well as laying a couple of big hits on the defensive end.
Penn State came out guns blazing in the second period, blasting Jurusik with a flurry of shots. The freshman stood tall however, making 16 saves in the period. He denied several Penn State breakaway chances and made an impressive pad save on the power play. His best save of the period came on a Nittany Lion breakaway, where he stopped the initial shot with the right pad and then turned away the rebound opportunity with the same pad. The Nittany Lions had six more shots than the Badgers for most of the period.
But, Wisconsin generated the far better chances, culminating in two goals. Junior forward Aidan Cavallini sent a centering pass to freshman forward Matthew Freytag who buried the puck top shelf. Then Besse skated in up the right wing and made a nifty pass to sophomore defenseman Corbin McGuire, who easily put the puck in the empty left side of the net.
The Badgers narrow escape with a victory gives them a bit of momentum as they head into the last regular-season series against Minnesota and then the Big Ten Tournament right after that. It also serves as a bit of retribution for a tough season filled with close games and heart-breaking losses.
“The win really gives us some wind in our sails in terms of moving forward from here,” Eaves said. “We recognize our seniors tomorrow at a senior brunch and it puts a way bigger smile on people when they show up on Sunday morning after a victory.”
