The Wisconsin Badgers fell behind early Saturday night as the Northern Michigan Wildcats took a three goal lead into the third period, but a three minute stint brought the Badgers back, finishing the season opening series with a 3-3 tie.
Head coach Mike Eaves went with the true freshman Matt Jurusik in goal for the series finale. The La Grange, Illinois native faced nine shots on goal in his first period of action as a Badger. He looked shaky, letting two of those go by.
“I had a lot of nerves going into my first game.” Jurusik commented after the game.
Mike Eaves would counter that saying, “Imagine that, a freshman nervous playing his first college game.”
The first goal was a wrist shot from Northern Michigan’s John Siemer. The junior snuck a wrist shot glove high past Jurusik at the 5:46 mark in the first period.
The second goal came just 10 minutes later, as Jurusik was screened and a puck slapped to the net by Northern Michigan’s Ryan Trenz found its way into the back of the net 15:26 into the first to put the Badgers down two goals heading into the second period.
Wisconsin struggled to get any offense going as the game continued into the second period of play. The lack offense was extremely apparent despite the Badgers managing to out-shoot the Wildcats at the end of the second 22 to 20. The absence of any really good scoring chance was apparent to the sparse number of fans in the Kohl Center tonight.
The Wildcats managed to keep their offense clicking 7:16 into the second period, as Sophomore Jordan Klimek skated over the blue line a slapped the puck past a Jurusik, who was screened by two other NMU attackers once more. The goal put the Wildcats up 3-0 and was Klimek’s first of his career.
Jurusik, despite letting up the goal in the second looked more confident between the pipes making a couple of huge saves to keep the Badgers only down three.
The Wisconsin offense had a couple of mediocre opportunities on two power plays in the second period but failed to put any in the net as they went into the final period of play trailing 3-0.
A comeback was needed and it all happened in a matter of three crazy minutes of hockey.
Ryan Wagner was the first Badger to break through NMU’s stingy defense, scoring a power play goal diving at a free puck bouncing around the crease sending it home 9:21 into the third period.
Cameron Hughes and Adam Rockwood were given credit for the assists.
Just 49 seconds later, Jedd Soleway received a pass from Adam Rockwood and sent that whizzing past NMU’s goal tender, Atte Tolvanen, to put the Badgers to within one at 10:10 into the third.
Northern Michigan helped out committing two penalties on one offensive possession for the Badgers. Giving the Badgers a five on three advantage for the next two minutes.
Wisconsin did not waste it. Adam Rockwood found Grant Besse who sent it over to Freshman Luke Kunin who sniped a slap shot past Tolvanen to tie the game at three goals a piece 12:07 into the third period.
The goal marked Luke Kunin’s first career goal as a Badger and capped off a vicious comeback by Wisconsin.
“Good things happen when you get the puck to the net” Kunin said in a post game press conference.
Wisconsin looked threatening in the third period out shooting NMU 20-5, but at the end of regulation, the game was all tied at three. For the second consecutive night, the Wildcats and Badgers would play five more minutes in sudden death overtime.
And for the second straight night the game would end in a tie and the Badgers would lose in a shout out that did not really mean anything.
Ryan Wagner had the best chance to win it for the Badgers, as he flew down the ice for a two-on-one chance. He kept the puck and tried a wrist shot glove side that just went wide. Tolvanen ended the night with 41 saves on the 44 shots the Badgers fired at him.
His counterpart, Jurusik, let in one goal in the shoot out but ended the night with 22 saves and an impressive third period where he saved all five shots he faced with confidence.
The Badgers take the show on the road next as they set to take on Boston’s finest, playing both Boston College and Boston University next Friday and Saturday respectively.
Despite two ties to open up the season, the young Badgers showed a lot of fight and resilience. Two things they will need as the season progresses.
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