Headline: Badger Hockey Captures WCHA Championship
For just the third time in the glorious history of Wisconsin Badger Hockey, the Wisconsin Badgers are the
WCHA Champions!!!!!
Wisconsin traveled to Minnesota over the weekend, knowing
full well that all they needed was a split in the series, to assure themselves of the title. The Badgers managed to
clinch the championship on Friday night with a thrillling
4-2 victory over the Gophers.
The teams skated evenly at two goals each through the first twenty minutes. The two Badger goals were from
HUKALO and REINPRECHT.
Neither team was able to slide the puck into the net in the second period, so the score remained tied at 2-2.
The Badgers took the lead at the 2:56 mark of the third period, when Matt Murray faked out Gopher goalie Eric Yong and slapped the puck past him into the net.
The score remined that way right down to final seconds.
Minnesota pulled their goalie in favor of an extra man, in the final minute, but the gamble back fired, as Dustin KUK slapped the puck into the empty net with just 26 remaining to give the Badgers the 4-2 victory and the
WCHA CHAMPIONSHIP!!!!
Following the game....... Head coach Jeff Sauer remained true to his words, and did not allow the Badgers to skate around the Minnesota with the trophy lofted over heads.
Instead......the team briefly huddled around goal tender Grahm Melanson, and quietly skated back into the locker room. Jeff Sauer has stated that the Badgers WILL CELEBRATE the championship with the Mcnaughton Cup following the regular season finale games at the Kohl Center this next weekend against Colorado College.
On Saturday night, the Badgers did not rest on the accomplishments from Friday night. Led by a pair of goals from Senior Nick Siren, and by goalie Graham Melanson's
23 saves, the Badgers defeated and SWEPT Minnesota by the score of 5-4.
Wisconsin dominated the first period taking a 3-0 lead on goals by Danny Heatly---- Siren--- and Matt Hussey.
In the second period, Minnesota got on the board making it 3-1 at the 7:49 mark. But Wisconsin's David Hukalo increased the lead margin back to 3, making the score 4-1, with a goal just a minute later. The Gophers would get their second goal of the game late in the period to make it 4-2 after two periods.
In the third period, Siren scored his second goal of the game at the 2:50 mark to make the score 5-2. That goal also proved to be the game winner, as the Gophers charged back the remainder of the period, scoring two goals in the final half of the period, to make the score 5-4.
But.... the Badgers hung on for the hard fought,emotional win.
>>>> EDITORS NOTE: With the SWEEP of the Gophers in Minnesota over the weekend, combined with their SWEEP over the Gophers in Madison earlier this year, it marked for the Badgers the FIRST time in the 79 year history of this rivaled Badgers/Gophers hockey series that Wisconsin
won ALL FOUR regular season games!!!!
ALSO..... The last TWO times WISCONSIN won the WCHA regular season Championship,(1977&1990) they also went on to WIN the NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP!!!!
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