After the first period, it was an all-around ugly night for the No. 17 Badgers, as they were swept right out of their own building by the Nittany Lions.
No. 10 Penn State (7-4-1 Big Ten, 18-6-2 overall) took advantage of several Badger miscues to run away with a 5-2 victory at the Kohl Center. The two-loss weekend marks the first time Wisconsin (8-4-0, 15-10-1) has been swept all season.
“We didn’t have our chances to win games this series. They were good. We weren’t good enough,” head coach Tony Granato said. “This is the first weekend all year that at the end of it, we say we got beat by a better team.”
Things came crumbling apart in the second period, traditionally the Badgers’ best period this season, as Wisconsin was outshot 15-9 and allowed two goals, but easily could have given up several more. The Badgers’ defensive zone play was sloppy and the offense struggled to put any pressure on the Nittany Lions.
“It was pretty much the whole series. They played smarter, they played a better road game than we were able to handle,” Granato said.
Sophomore captain Luke Kunin turned the momentum back the Badgers’ way late in the second with a beauty of a power-play goal, blasting a shot past goalie Peyton Jones off a pass from junior forward Cameron Hughes. It was a lucky break for the Badgers, who were out-skated, out-hustled and outplayed in the second frame, but managed to escape the period down just one goal.
The Badgers’ less-than-stellar play caught up with them in the third, though, as Denis Smirnov scored an unassisted goal on a breakaway to give the Nittany Lions their second two-goal lead of the night. Trevor Hamilton delivered the final dagger, scoring with just over five minutes left.
It was a night to forget for Wisconsin, as after junior forward Matt Ustaski tied the game with 23 seconds left in the first, the Badgers looked lost on the ice. Wisconsin was a step behind all game, allowing odd-man rushes regularly and giving up golden scoring chances to the Nittany Lions.
Sophomore goalie Matt Jurusik refused to blame the volume of shots he faced, which totaled 44, for the five goals he allowed.
“It was me not being ready to play a full 60 [minutes],” Jurusik said. “It’s uncharacteristic after I’ve gotten back from that injury.”
Nonetheless, there was little Jurusik could have done on all five of Penn State’s goals, as all but one were a result of defensive breakdowns by the Badgers. The plot continues to thicken between the pipes for UW, as sophomore Jack Berry and Jurusik are still neck-and-neck in the battle for the team’s No. 1 goalie. Jurusik had a chance to vault himself ahead tonight, and while he was solid, his five goals allowed keeps the race just about even.
The Badgers will now have to quickly right the ship to stay in the hunt for a Big Ten title. The race is a three-team brawl, with Minnesota pulling slightly ahead after a comeback win over the Buckeyes Saturday. The Gophers have 27 points, followed by the Badgers, who are three points back. Penn State is breathing down their necks with 22 points.
“We’ve done so many things well this year. Certainly I thought we’d match up better this weekend,” Granato said. “The challenge is responding and rebounding from a weekend like this and I’m confident that our guys, like they have all year, will come ready on Monday to get ready for this weekend.”
Kunin, who leads the team with 19 goals and continues to cement his status as an elite player in the country, didn’t mince words about UW’s performance.
“We’ve got to want it more. From the start of the series to the end, they wanted it more than we did and I think that showed,” Kunin said. “That’s unacceptable for our group.”
The Badgers will return to the Kohl Center next weekend against Michigan, hoping to claw back to the top of the Big Ten standings.
