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UW men's hockey: Four-goal third period lifts Badgers into regional title game

Todd D. Milewski  —  3/30/2008 7:20 am

Up a goal going into the third period, the University of Wisconsin didn't sit on the lead. It widened it with an effort not seen before from this team.

Defenseman Cody Goloubef and winger John Mitchell scored a minute apart for some needed breathing room, and the Badgers moved one win away from a most improbable Frozen Four berth.

A 6-2 victory over Denver in front of 9,968 fans at the Kohl Center was just the first step in the Badgers' quest to show the world it earned its spot in the NCAA tournament despite a losing record.

The result should turn some heads around the country.

"We're just out there to prove a lot of people wrong right now," Badgers winger Michael Davies said.

Davies scored twice, including the all-important opening goal in the first period, as the Badgers earned a spot alongside North Dakota in Sunday's 6 p.m. regional final.

Shane Connelly made 30 saves for the Badgers (16-16-7), who improved to 2-11-2 against the Pioneers (26-14-1) at the Kohl Center.

The crucial stretch came in the third period, when the Badgers turned a one-goal lead into a three-goal cushion in the span of 60 seconds.

Goloubef rang the left post with a slap shot from the left point, but the puck rebounded back off Denver goaltender Peter Mannino and then back over the goal line.

Mitchell made it 4-1 on the next shift, turning a race for a puck into a breakaway and beating Mannino between the pads.

"I think it was a dagger in their heart right there," Goloubef said. "That third period, that's what we need. I think that sunk their ship right there."

Wisconsin scored four times in the third period, its best offensive production in the final 20 minutes all season.

The third has been the Badgers' best period — they have outscored teams 49-23 — but taking things to this level was something new.

The Badgers are in the regional final for the third time in six seasons under coach Mike Eaves, and they're there despite a 13-day layoff since their last game. Denver had what could have been considered an advantage in that it played last weekend — and stayed quite sharp in winning the WCHA playoff championship.

But Wisconsin didn't show many signs of rust, winning battles in the first period and dishing out hits early.

"In the first 10 minutes especially, we did a pretty good job of playing at tempo," Eaves said. "Getting the first goal was good. It got the crowd in the game. There were several hits early that got the crowd in the game. So we got the start that we needed."

Davies' goal 8 minutes, 59 seconds into the game helped break the ice.
 
A pair of bounces on a Jamie McBain shot — one off Pioneers forward Brandon Vossberg and one off Mannino's right pad — left the sophomore with an open net, and he capitalized.

McBain put the Badgers ahead on a second-period power play. The defenseman redirected Josh Engel's shot up into the top netting from close range.

Denver climbed within 2-1 late in the second behind Dustin Jackson's power-play goal, and Tom May quieted the Kohl Center briefly in the third by cutting the UW lead to 4-2.

But the Badgers' third-period express was just getting started. Davies added his second of the game, and captain Davis Drewiske scored into an empty net with 2:46 remaining.

"The third period has been strong for us in terms of scoring goals, and I was glad to have that on our side tonight," Eaves said. "I hadn't seen our bench that excited. Somebody darn near jumped up and hit me with their feet. It was fun to watch the kids be that excited and share that with the fans tonight. It was special."

The result ended Denver's hopes of playing in the Frozen Four in its home city. The Pepsi Center is hosting the event April 10 and 12.

Pioneers coach George Gwozdecky said he saw in the Badgers a team that had been granted a second chance at life.

"When you're given a second chance like that, you really, certainly want to make the most of it," Gwozdecky said.

Wisconsin players and coaches have made no apologies for their presence in the NCAA tournament, something that doesn't figure to be changing after a night like this.

"We've heard it all week," McBain said of talk that the Badgers don't belong in the field of 16. "We've heard it from the press. Around the rink, we hear it. It's something we try to tune out but it's something we also grab and try to take to motivate us just to go out there and play hockey and prove people wrong. We've got nothing to lose because people doubt us anyway."

Todd D. Milewski  —  3/30/2008 7:20 am